Singapore-Malaysia land VTL travel quota to be reinstated from Feb 22

From Feb 21, 11.59pm, the measures for VTL (land) travellers will also be streamlined. - ST FILE

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): The vaccinated travel lane (land) quota will be fully reinstated from Feb 22, with sales of additional Singapore-Malaysia bus tickets for travel from this date commencing on Wednesday (Feb 16).

In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said that as the imported cases are now unlikely to affect the trajectory of local cases, it will be restoring the quota and streamlining the border measures for VTL (land).

In December last year, there was a temporary reduction of the quota by 50 per cent to delay the onset of Omicron transmission.

In addition, the multi-ministry task force tackling the pandemic said that from Feb 21, 11.59pm, the measures for VTL (land) travellers will be streamlined.

For on-arrival testing, instead of the supervised self-swab antigen rapid test (ART) required upon arrival at the bus terminal, there will be a supervised self-swab ART within 24 hours of arrival at a Quick Test Centre or Combined Test Centre.

A weblink to book the test will be provided in the testing notice issued on arrival.

The enhanced testing protocol requiring unsupervised self-swab ARTs on days 2 to 7 of arrival will also cease. VTL land travellers will have to do only the pre-departure test and the on-arrival test.

Only work permit holders and short-term visitors eligible to travel via VTL land will have to apply for a vaccinated travel pass (VTP) now. Other long-term pass holders will no longer have to apply for a VTP.

The travel history requirement will also be reduced from 14 to seven days. Travellers must have stayed in Singapore, Malaysia, or any other VTL or low infection country in the past seven days.

MTI said that the Government will continue to review the border measures and progressively expand the VTL (land) in a safe and calibrated manner, taking into account the public health situation in both countries and globally.