By now, you would have seen photos that flooded social media of Malaysian workers crossing the border into Singapore last night.
This came after Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that all Malaysians will be barred from leaving the country and all foreigners will be denied entry into their land in an attempt to prevent further spread of the highly contagious virus.
This was also because Malaysia suddenly had a spike in cases, and with a total number of 673 people infected and two deaths, they currently have the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia.
But in case you’re a Singaporean and you’re confused as to whether that means you will be stuck in Malaysia if you failed to make it out and across the border last night, a representative for the Malaysian High Commission has made a clarification.
S’poreans Who Are Now in M’sia Can Still Leave M’sia
According to the representative, all foreigners are still able to leave Malaysia at any time, including this lockdown period. This also applies to all Singaporeans.
However, those who wish to leave Malaysia are warned that they would have to be prepared for “significant travel inconveniences” because of the travel restrictions imposed.
And don’t worry too much because Malaysian airports and land checkpoints have confirmed that they will still be operating throughout the lockdown period from 18 March to 31 March.
Will S’poreans Be Subjected To 14-Day SHN If They Leave M’sia?
For now, there has not been any announcement that Singaporeans would be subjected to a 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) if they choose to travel to Singapore from Malaysia via sea or land crossings.
However, this does not apply to those who are travelling into Singapore via air.
Can S’poreans Still Enter M’sia During This Lockdown Period?
So the confusion continues and the next question is, if Singaporeans can leave Malaysia anytime, can we then still enter Malaysia during this lockdown period?
Well, unless you are employed under “essential services”, you will not be allowed to enter Malaysia during this lockdown period. This applies to all foreigners as well as Singaporeans with Malaysian PR status.
If you are employed under “essential services”, you would have to obtain a verification letter from your employers and present it to the Malaysian Immigration Department at the point of entry before you are granted access into the country.
More Information
If you’re still quite unsure about the entire situation, you can also refer to a Telegram channel that has been set up specifically for Singaporeans so that they can remain informed about the current situation.
Pretty cool, right?
Either way, no matter where you are, please do continue being socially responsible so that we can all better fight against the highly contagious virus.
