Traffic builds up on Johor Causeway after PM announces movement control order (updated)

The view from the Woodlands checkpoint towards Johor, as seen on the Onemotoring website.

JOHOR BARU: Traffic on the Johor Causeway started to build up an hour after Malaysia imposed a movement control order following the rise in Covid-19 cases in the country.

Footage of the Johor Causeway on Singapore-based website Onemotoring as of 11.28pm on Monday (March 16), showed that the jam has started to build towards the Woodlands checkpoint in Singapore. It only cleared more than an hour later.

However traffic was normal at the Second Link.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had earlier announced that the entire country would be on a movement control order starting from March 18 until 31.

However, he did not specify if this would apply to the 250,000 to 300,000 people mainly Malaysians who commute between both countries daily.

A Singaporean motorist known as Tan said that the Johor Causeway was quite empty these days, especially after many Singaporeans started staying back in the island republic.

"But after the Prime Minister's speech, a lot of people are worried about a Malaysian government lockdown or restriction which has caused widespread panic," he said when contacted.

He hoped that the Malaysian government would give a clearer picture as Singapore has not imposed such a stand to stop daily commuters.