Applications for cross-border travel between Malaysia and Singapore have maxed out for the first three days from Aug. 17 to 19.
Within these three days, 6,000 Malaysians and Singaporeans are expected to travel between both countries under the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) measures.
The RGL allows cross-border travel for essential and official purposes within both countries, while the PCA enables both Singaporeans and Malaysians with long-term immigration visas to enter either one of the countries for work.
Johor Immigration Department director Baharuddin Tahir told reporters that the Malaysian Immigration Department received 180 RGL and 6,000 PCA applications for the first three days after applications opened Monday.
“As of this evening, the quota for Aug 17, 18, and 19 has been filled up,” he said at a briefing on the reopening of the Malaysia-Singapore border yesterday.
The RGL allows cross-border travels for up to 60 people a day while the PCA has a quota of 2,000 people per day. Applicants will know whether they’ve been approved for cross-border travel a day before their travel dates.
All applicants will undergo a COVID-19 screening test before their travels to either country. Upon arrival, they will undergo another COVID-19 swab test and are required to self-isolate for seven days at designated quarantine facilities.
This opening may be followed by the next stage, which covers daily border-crossing within Malaysia and Singapore for over 200,000 people, according to Malaysian Foreign Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.
“The next stage of the border opening refers to daily commuting of Malaysians and Singaporeans, back and forth between the two countries,” he said at a press conference last month.
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