New Development in SG-MY Borders for Long-Term Pass Holders & Business Travellers

By
Boon Hun
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Previously, we wrote about how Malaysia and Singapore will open up the borders in stages:

It was announced that plans for this reopening will be open next month (August), practically a birthday present for Singapore.

But it seems like people in Singapore getting an early birthday present because today (14 Jul), some of the plans were revealed.

New Development in SG-MY Borders for Long-Term Pass Holders & Business Travellers

On 14 July, it was announced that Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to let long-term pass holders and business travellers travel between the two countries.

D-Day: 10 Aug 2020.

This was announced by Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein in a joint statement.

The aim is to have all the systems and processes in place by D-Day.

How It Works:

Only Singapore residents and Malaysia residents who hold long-term immigration pass for business or work purposes will be allowed to commute for work.

Sadly, this still doesn’t apply to the thousands of people who enter Singapore to work on a daily basis.

So let’s say a Malaysian worker is working in NTUC Fairprice.

He has to stay and work in Singapore for at least three months before he can return to Malaysia for a short-term home leave.

Then, he has to return to Singapore to work for another three months before he can go home again.

So those NTUC Fairprice Malaysian workers still have to decide if they want to leave their jobs, or find a place in Singapore to stay while working.

But at least mothers can go home for a short while instead of sending frozen breast milk back to their babies.

More Details Will Be Provided On 31 Jul 2020

It was also said that the respective governments will make known the processes and systems required for people to travel across the borders 10 days before 10 Aug 2020.

Which, by our (admittedly lousy) math skills, seems to indicate 31 July 2020.

On this day, they will reveal the requirements, health protocols and application process needed for an individual to travel between countries.

Of course, expect mandatory swab tests because that’s an important part of our defence against Covid-19 now.

Previously, discussions between the two countries have led to the proposal of four travelling categories.

The first, Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL), is for essential business and official matters. Unfortunately, buying a banana cake from Hiap Joo Bakery doesn’t come under this category.

The second category, Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA), is meant for long-term immigration pass-holders from both countries to return to their homes for a short period of time.

Under the third category, citizens from both countries will be allowed to commute daily, and the last category is for a full border reopening.

It seems like by 10 Aug, we’ll have reached stage 2 of the reopening.

Now let us hope that very soon, we can reach the last two categories too.

Now that you know more about the plans for the reopening of the SG-MY borders, you might as well just watch our latest video whereby we simplify what TraceTogether is here:

Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:

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Boon Hun
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