Coronavirus: No quarantine for Malaysian workers returning from Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysia will waive the 14-day quarantine requirement for its workers returning from Singapore, provided they test negative for the coronavirus, news site Malaysiakini reported yesterday.

The government said the returning Malaysians should first undergo a swab test in Singapore and then present the test certificate at the entry point in Malaysia.

"Malaysians working in Singapore who wish to return to Malaysia during the movement control order (MCO) period are required to get a swab test in Singapore and present a letter or certificate to confirm he or she is free of Covid-19 at the entry point before being allowed to enter.

"They will not need to be quarantined if they are confirmed to be negative," said immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud in a letter addressed to the Johor Immigration Department seen by Malaysiakini.

The MCO, which is in force until April 14 to contain the pandemic, requires all Malaysians returning from abroad to be isolated for 14 days.

Malaysians are not allowed to go overseas, while tourists are not allowed into the country. Schools and non-essential businesses have been shuttered.

Before the order was implemented on March 18, an estimated 300,000 Malaysians commuted from Johor daily to work in Singapore.