Commuters take the Woodlands Causeway to Singapore from Johor a day before Malaysia imposes a lockdown on travel due to the coronavirus outbreak in Singapore in this file picture taken on March 17, 2020. — Reuters pic
JOHOR BARU, March 27 — Johor government plans to set up a special task force to discuss the standard operating procedure (SOP) specifically for Malaysians who commute daily to work in Singapore following the reopening of the border between the countries on April 1.
State Youth, Sports, Entrepreneur Development, Cooperatives and Human Resource Committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said the SOP would be announced in the near future after discussions on the matter were held with relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Health.
“Mentri Besar (Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi) may discuss the matter earlier with Johor State Health Department,” he told reporters after a gotong-royong programme here today.
On Friday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in a joint statement announced that effective April 1, fully vaccinated travellers, and non-fully vaccinated children aged 12 and below would be permitted to travel to both countries without having to undergo testing protocols and quarantine.
Fully vaccinated travellers are allowed to cross the land border between Malaysia and Singapore from April 1 without the need to quarantine or undertake a Covid-19 test both before departure and upon arrival.
Meanwhile, Mohd Hairi, who is also Larkin state assemblyman, officially began duties under his portfolio at the Johor Malaysia Games (Sukma) Secretariat office in Iskandar Puteri.
Speaking to the media, he said he would discuss with State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor on plans to allow all sporting venues built for the Malaysia Games (Sukma) to be rented out for sports activities.
“Some facilities are under the jurisdiction of the Johor Sports Council and local councils. So, I will meet with Mohd Jafni to discuss this matter,” he added. — Bernama
