Singapore And Malaysia Reopen Their Land Borders Amid Concerns Over The Omicron Variant Of Corona Virus

Illustration of Singapore's border with Malaysia. (Wikimedia Commons/Calvin Teo)

JAKARTA - Singapore, and Malaysia reopened one of the world's busiest land borders connecting the two countries on Monday, allowing vaccinated travelers to cross after nearly two years of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While travelers welcome the opportunity to reunite with family and friends, there are concerns the border may be closed again due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

At the Queen Street bus terminal in Singapore, several dozen people waiting to board the first bus to Malaysia expressed caution.

"The border may close soon because of the new variant," said Eugene Ho, citing Reuters on Nov. 29.

"I'm actually very worried about being trapped," continued the 31-year-old banker who left Singapore for the first time in nearly two years.

Travelers must test negative for COVID-19 prior to departure, and Malaysia also requires travelers to get tested on arrival, a move Singapore followed on Sunday due to concerns about the Omicron variant.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was greeted by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at one of the land borders on Monday, his first official visit as Prime Minister to Singapore.

Siva Kumar, a 41-year-old engineer in the semiconductor industry, has been inundated with calls from his two teenage sons who are eagerly awaiting his return.

"All morning they kept calling, 'Where are you now? Have you taken the bus yet?',". (I want to) hug them, kiss them. I really miss them," said Kumar.

As many as 300,000 Malaysians commuted daily to Singapore before the pandemic. The sudden closure of the border in March 2020 left tens of thousands of people stranded on both sides, separated from their families and fearful for their jobs.

Under the new arrangements, up to 1,440 travelers from each side can cross the land border each day without quarantine, if they have citizenship, permanent residency, or a long-term visa in the destination country, according to guidelines published by the Singapore government.

In addition to the land border, the route of vaccinated air travel between the two countries also started on Monday.

To note, Singapore has vaccinated 85 percent of its population, while around 80 percent of Malaysia's population has been vaccinated.

The Lion country, with an aging population of 5.5 million, relies heavily on Malaysians living in the southern state of Johor for staff businesses ranging from restaurants to semiconductor manufacturing.

Singapore reported 747 locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Sunday, its lowest tally since mid-September. Malaysia reported 4,239 cases on Sunday, the smallest number since early November.