JOHOR BARU: Johor has urged the Federal Government to fine-tune standard operating procedures (SOP) related to cross-border travel so that Malaysians with Singapore permanent resident status are not sidelined.
Datuk Tee Siew Kiong, adviser to the Johor Mentri Besar, said the government should review and adjust the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) schemes now that it had been more than a month since their introduction.
“The on-ground situation is different now compared to when the travel schemes were first introduced, as there was no precedent to refer to then.
“This includes shortening the quarantine period from the current 14 days, lengthening the number of days travellers are allowed to stay in the country as well as adjusting the RGL and PCA schemes to ease travel for Singapore PR to Malaysia,” he said at a press conference after distributing mooncakes to frontliners at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine here.
He noted that the border travel schemes sidelined PR holders, as they did not hold long-term work passes like other Malaysians and therefore could not take up the PCA scheme.
Under PCA, those with Singapore work permits are allowed to travel to Malaysia after testing negative for Covid-19.
Tee said if a permanent resident opted for RGL, they would have to fork out RM2,100 to undergo 14-day quarantine upon arrival in Johor and observe another seven days of quarantine when they returned to Singapore.
“This is a burden for them in terms of cost and time, so there is a need to fine-tune the travel schemes while also making sure that all safety measures are adhered to,” he said.
He added that those who needed to commute between the two countries for medical purposes or deaths in the family should be treated with compassion, and allowed into Malaysia for one day to settle their affairs and exempted from quarantine.
The RGL and PCA schemes took effect on Aug 17 to address the needs of different groups commuting between both countries.
Meanwhile, state health and environment committee chairman R. Vidyananthan assured the public that the state government and Health Ministry had taken the necessary measures to control the spread of Covid-19 in Johor.
Long-term measures to combat and minimise the risk of spreading the virus in the community had been taken, he said, such as ensuring that all testing, isolation and treatment facilities were ready to take on every infected case.
“We have also made sure that our Covid-19 surveillance system in those facilities are in tip-top condition and that the state’s medical staff and supplies are well-stocked to handle the cases,” he said.
As of Sept 30, the department has identified 157 close contacts where 70 are negative for Covid-19 while 87 are waiting for results.
Vidyananthan added that the cumulative cases for Covid-19 reported in Johor stood at 767 cases with 15 active cases, 731 recoveries and 21 deaths.
Datuk Tee Siew Kiong, adviser to the Johor Mentri Besar, said the government should review and adjust the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) schemes now that it had been more than a month since their introduction.
“The on-ground situation is different now compared to when the travel schemes were first introduced, as there was no precedent to refer to then.
“This includes shortening the quarantine period from the current 14 days, lengthening the number of days travellers are allowed to stay in the country as well as adjusting the RGL and PCA schemes to ease travel for Singapore PR to Malaysia,” he said at a press conference after distributing mooncakes to frontliners at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine here.
He noted that the border travel schemes sidelined PR holders, as they did not hold long-term work passes like other Malaysians and therefore could not take up the PCA scheme.
Under PCA, those with Singapore work permits are allowed to travel to Malaysia after testing negative for Covid-19.
Tee said if a permanent resident opted for RGL, they would have to fork out RM2,100 to undergo 14-day quarantine upon arrival in Johor and observe another seven days of quarantine when they returned to Singapore.
“This is a burden for them in terms of cost and time, so there is a need to fine-tune the travel schemes while also making sure that all safety measures are adhered to,” he said.
He added that those who needed to commute between the two countries for medical purposes or deaths in the family should be treated with compassion, and allowed into Malaysia for one day to settle their affairs and exempted from quarantine.
The RGL and PCA schemes took effect on Aug 17 to address the needs of different groups commuting between both countries.
Meanwhile, state health and environment committee chairman R. Vidyananthan assured the public that the state government and Health Ministry had taken the necessary measures to control the spread of Covid-19 in Johor.
Long-term measures to combat and minimise the risk of spreading the virus in the community had been taken, he said, such as ensuring that all testing, isolation and treatment facilities were ready to take on every infected case.
“We have also made sure that our Covid-19 surveillance system in those facilities are in tip-top condition and that the state’s medical staff and supplies are well-stocked to handle the cases,” he said.
As of Sept 30, the department has identified 157 close contacts where 70 are negative for Covid-19 while 87 are waiting for results.
Vidyananthan added that the cumulative cases for Covid-19 reported in Johor stood at 767 cases with 15 active cases, 731 recoveries and 21 deaths.
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