With effect from April 1, Singapore and Malaysia will reopen their borders to foreign tourists, enabling passengers who have received a complete Covid-19 vaccination to enter the country without being subjected to quarantine.
Prior to departing, visitors will be asked to submit to pre-departure (RT-PCR) and upon arrival (RTK-Antigen under expert supervision) tests, which will be repeated 24 hours later.
The same is true for Singaporeans, who, like all other travellers, will be required to download the MySejahtera tracking program and complete a pre-departure travel form in order to enter Malaysia.
What does this imply for travelers traveling between Singapore and Malaysia, and how can they prepare? The solutions may be found in the Straits Times.
Is it now possible for me to fly to Malaysia without having to go through quarantine?
While it is true that this was previously a possibility before to the declaration by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Tuesday (March 8).
Singapore and Malaysia have previously implemented vaccine-protected air and land transit lanes. By the beginning of January, around 100,000 passengers had already entered Singapore using the lanes. Many more people have traveled to Malaysia as well.
What is the importance of Malaysia’s latest announcement?
Is it possible for me to return to Singapore without being subjected to quarantine?
With the most recent notification by Malaysian officials, it is theoretically possible to lift the limit on the number of Singaporeans who may visit Malaysia starting on April 1.
However, for the time being, the current limit on the number of travelers who may enter Singapore without being quarantined will remain in effect.
In practice, this implies that although Singaporeans may travel to Malaysia without being subjected to the old Covid-19 limitations, they may be unable to do so on their way back home.
Singapore has maintained its policy of only allowing anyone traveling from Malaysia to be free from quarantine provided they do so via the VTL program, which is still limited at 4,320 people traveling both ways each day by bus, with no information on the maximum for air VTL for particular nations.
There is no limit for flights that are not VTL. The failure to participate in the VTL system will result in a seven-day stay home notice being issued.
Is it legal for me to drive into Malaysia starting on April 1?
Malaysia has not said if it intends to reopen the Causeway for quarantine-free access for private drivers, with present arrangements in place before April 1 continuing subject to the land VTL system, as previously reported. The only means to go overland nowadays is to arrange bus tickets on either Transtar or Causeway Link, which are the only options available.
The authorities in Singapore have similarly made no additional statements on the topic to this point. Again, this implies that even if individuals were allowed to drive their automobiles from Singapore to Malaysia, they would not be able to drive their cars back to Singapore without first serving a stay-at-home notice in Singapore.
Is it possible to enter Singapore under the present VTL rules?
A pre-departure polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or expertly administered Antigen Rapid Test (ART) within 2 days of their flight is required in Malaysia, and a supervised self-administered ART at a test centre within 24 hours of their arrival in Singapore is required in Singapore for both land and air VTL cases.
It is necessary for travelers to have spent the previous seven days in Singapore, Malaysia, or another VTL or low infection nation.
