Singapore and Malaysia are aiming to expand the land Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme, which began yesterday, to include general travellers from mid-December, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Discussions will also start on piloting a sea VTL to allow Singapore cruise ships to call at Malaysian ports, said PM Lee after meeting his counterpart Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who was here on an official visit.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Datuk Seri Ismail yesterday, PM Lee said the leaders agreed to work towards aligning safe cruise standards and start discussions on a possible VTL for travel between Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Desaru in Johor.
But these moves would have to take into account the public health situation. "We are all watching anxiously the new Omicron variant to see how it will behave," PM Lee said at the Istana.
"But even if Omicron disrupts these plans, our goal will still be to have more open borders between Singapore and Malaysia, and I'm quite confident that after some time, we will be able to make further progress."
The new coronavirus strain, dubbed a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last Friday, led to more countries tightening their borders yesterday.
Mr Ismail, who witnessed the launch of the land VTL at Woodlands Checkpoint with PM Lee, called the scheme "another significant milestone" in cooperation between the two countries.
He said he and PM Lee discussed additional measures that will be taken on cross-border travel between Malaysia and Singapore.
"Both of us have agreed to, one, include all categories of travellers for the VTL land, subject to the health requirements determined by both countries.
"Two, to expand VTL land to include additional bus services routes through the Second Link, trains operated by KTM, and gradually to include personal vehicles such as motorbikes and cars," said Mr Ismail.
The VTL cross-border travel scheme currently allows 1,440 citizens, permanent residents or long-term pass holders quarantine-free entry into each country on designated buses daily.
PM Lee said the VTL is starting with "modest numbers". "It will take us some time before we get anywhere near to pre-Covid levels. But we will progress step by step, and get it working first," he added.
The two leaders also discussed the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link project, the Iskandar Malaysia economic development corridor in Johor, and the now-terminated High Speed Rail project.
Earlier, Mr Ismail, who was here on his first official visit as prime minister, called on President Halimah Yacob at the Istana.
He was presented with a spray of pink-purple orchids named Dendrobium Ismail Sabri Yaakob in his honour.
At the press conference, PM Lee said both countries are close neighbours with a shared history. "Our economies are extensively intertwined. Our peoples share strong bonds of kinship, friendship and memories. So the closing of borders was very tough on both sides."
During the pandemic, Singapore and Malaysia continued to work closely with each other, he said. Even as borders were closed, both sides worked hard to maintain essential business and official travel.
Mr Ismail was instrumental in making these happen, when he previously co-chaired the Singapore-Malaysia Special Working Committee on Covid-19, said PM Lee.
Mr Ismail also accepted PM Lee's invitation to visit Singapore again for an in-person Leaders' Retreat in the first quarter of next year.
PM Lee said he had enjoyed good relations with Mr Ismail's predecessors, most recently Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. "I look forward to building equally strong relations with PM Ismail Sabri, and continuing to strengthen our bilateral ties and cooperation."
