SINGAPORE - More than 11,000 travellers have crossed the land borders between Singapore and Malaysia as at 7am on Friday (April 1) since the borders reopened at midnight.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Friday that queues at the various checkpoints were already observed at 11pm on Thursday. These queues comprised travellers on foot at Woodlands Checkpoint, and cars and motorcycles at the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints.

ICA added that it started to organise travellers on foot based on their immigration status even before borders reopened. This allowed them to clear immigration when they entered the checkpoint's bus hall. These travellers could also use the additional automated lanes.

The authority said its officers were able to adjust the car and motorcycle zones based on the real-time demand of each transport mode. 

The Straits Times observed queues for both cars and motorcycles at Woodlands Checkpoint one hour into the border reopening. But the bus hall for travellers on foot quickly emptied out soon after the borders reopened.

ICA reminds people entering Singapore to submit their SG Arrival Card and ensure that they have proof of vaccination before reaching the checkpoints.

Drivers of foreign-registered vehicles need a valid vehicle entry permit, the Land Transport Authority's approval e-mail and an Autopass card.

ICA said it will continue to make adjustments to further improve the immigration process to ensure a smooth and seamless experience for travellers.

But while the reopening of the land borders between Singapore and Malaysia has restored a sense of normalcy to the Causeway and the Second Link, the volume of travellers remains far off the number of people - 415,000 - who used the land checkpoints daily before the pandemic.