KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 — Those looking to return to Malaysia from Singapore should take note of the Causeway’s new operation hours set to take effect this Friday, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri announced today.

During his daily non-health update, Ismail announced that all operations involving the Immigration Department and its related agencies will see its usual 24-hour operations on the Causeway cut short to 7am to 7pm daily, in line with the movement control order.

He said the decision will affect the movement of individuals and commercial vehicles such as cargo lorries.

However, the second link will maintain its round-the-clock operation hours.

"So if there is an emergency and if there is a need for our citizens to return to Malaysia after the first link’s new operations hours, they can use the second link to return.

"As for the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex, or the second link, operations will continue as usual, which is a 24-hour operation.

"On the second link, commercial vehicles can move as usual; this is so that emergency cases and the delivery of medical supplies are not strained,” he said during the press conference broadcasted on national television channels.

Additionally, Ismail said the government has prepared around 6,000 rooms at nearby hotels and health facilities in Johor for those returning from Singapore, and instructed the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) to increase this by another 4,000.

"These rooms will not be limited to those only within Johor, but will also involve nearby towns and cities, where we might even need some rooms as far as Melaka,” he said.

To date, Ismail said there was still no wave of Malaysians returnees from Singapore, with the daily average number of those crossing over hovering around 400 people.

He said the arrangement to obtain additional rooms to quarantine returning Malaysians would allow them to handle a large wave of returnees should it occur.

"So up to now we can still handle the entry of Malaysians coming back, but this has yet to happen en masse.

"Hopefully with the additional rooms we will still be able to handle the situation in the event Malaysians do return en masse,” he said.