KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — Malaysia has not seen a mass return of its citizens from Singapore following the Singapore government’s decision to extend the circuit breaker to June 1, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.
Ismail Sabri, however, said the Malaysian government has instructed the Human Resources Ministry to negotiate with its Singaporean counterpart to deliberate on matters concerning the return of Malaysians across the causeway.
“To date there has not been mass returns because factories are still operational. Even for Malaysians whose factories have closed, the Singapore government has given them the opportunity to remain there.
“The Human Resources Ministry will negotiate with its Singaporean counterpart whether those given unpaid leave will be returning or whether their return will be conducted in stages,” he said in a press conference here.
He was earlier asked to respond to Singapore’s announcement on the extension of the ongoing circuit breaker to minimise movement of people for four more weeks until June 1.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had pointed out that the Singapore government will not be able to completely lift the restrictions after May 4 and go back to business as usual, following an earlier announcement by the Ministry of Health reporting 1,111 new cases of Covid-19 — bringing the total number of infections to 9,125 as of April 21.
The move has left many Malaysians, who chose to remain in Singapore to work during the MCO, in a quandary as most have been asked to take unpaid leave during the circuit breaker and are unable to take on part-time jobs.
Ismail Sabri also assured that the government will provide around 10,000 rooms to be used as quarantine centres should Malaysians return from Singapore en masse.
Malaysians who return from abroad are placed under a mandatory 14-day quarantine at designated hotels with no charge.
