JOHOR BARU, March 24 — Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said today he welcomes the reopening of the land border between Malaysia and Singapore for travellers who have been fully vaccinated as the move will benefit the state.
He said the announcement made today, in a joint statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Long, will definitely contribute to the recovery efforts of Johor which will have a positive impact on the economy and the wellbeing of the public.
“I will work to ensure that all preparations at the Johor-Singapore border are at an optimal level and will also take into account the issue of traffic congestion.
“Hopefully, the opening of this border will be a new chapter, not only for Malaysia and Singapore, but also for Johor and the republic,” he said in a statement on Facebook.
He was commenting on the announcement that beginning April 1, land travel between Singapore and Malaysia will resume to a close approximation of the pre-Covid-19 era, with fully vaccinated travellers exempted from quarantine and Covid-19 testing before and after arriving.
The move was in line with the start of the transition phase of the Covid-19 into endemicity, where both the Malaysian and Singapore governments agreed that it was time to reopen the land borders to travellers who have been fully vaccinated.
Onn Hafiz said he was grateful that the Johor-Singapore border will be reopened on April 1, after being closed for more than 20 months.
“On behalf of the Johor state government, I would like to thank both the Malaysian and Singapore prime ministers, who have announced this good news for the people of Johor and Malaysians as a whole.
“I would also like to thank Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar and former Johor mentri besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad who assisted in efforts to reopen the Johor-Singapore border,” he said.
Onn Hafiz, who is also the newly-elected Machap assemblyman, said he hopes that he can meet with Singapore’s top leadership soon to discuss the future direction of Johor and the island republic.
From April 1, those who are fully vaccinated will be able to travel between Singapore and Malaysia by land, including by driving, without testing or quarantine.
The move is likely to benefit states like Johor as short trips by Singaporean motorists had previously made up the main influx of visitors between the neighbouring countries.
The Malaysia-Singapore land border opening will coincide with Malaysia’s opening of its borders to international travellers on April 1.
