From next month, travellers on the land Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme using the manned immigration counters at Woodlands Checkpoint will be able to self-scan their passports, reducing physical contact with immigration officers.
Glass shields will also be installed at these counters as an additional layer of protection.
The counters will still be manned by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers, who inspect documents such as travellers' vaccination certificates and pre-departure tests.
These are some of the enhancements being progressively rolled out at Woodlands Checkpoint for a safer and more seamless immigration process for travellers, the ICA said yesterday.
More than 35,000 trips have been made between Singapore and Malaysia via the Woodlands Checkpoint since border measures were eased on Nov 29.
Currently, travellers using those counters hand over their passports to ICA officers for clearance, the border control agency told The Straits Times.
From next month, ICA will also be issuing an electronic visit pass to those entering Singapore via the land border.
The pass contains details of the maximum number of days of stay and the last day of stay allowed.
This measure is already in place at Changi Airport and will replace the inked endorsement stamps in passports.
The electronic visit pass will be sent to the e-mail address declared by travellers when they submit the SG Arrival Card online. The card, which contains health declaration information, must be submitted within three days before arrival.
It replaces the physical disembarkation/embarkation card, commonly known as the white card, which is no longer accepted at checkpoints.
ICA's new initiatives come after the land VTL was expanded from Monday to allow vaccinated Singapore citizens to enter Malaysia via the Causeway without quarantine. The same applies for vaccinated Malaysians entering Singapore via the Causeway.
Up to 4,320 people can now travel between Malaysia and Singapore via the land VTL every day. Since it began on Nov 29, more than 24,540 travellers had left Singapore for Malaysia as at 3pm on Monday.
Another 12,455 entered Singapore via the land VTL within the same period, ICA told ST.
Besides the manual lanes, VTL travellers can also use 20 automated lanes at Woodlands Checkpoint when entering Singapore.
Singapore citizens, permanent residents, long-term pass holders and international travellers who are part of the Frequent Traveller Programme can use these automated lanes, provided their biometric data is registered with ICA.
It takes 30 seconds to use the automated lane, which is equipped with iris and facial scanners. Clearance through manual counters takes about three minutes.
Besides being more reliable than fingerprints for identity authentication, these touchless scanners have enabled immigration clearance to be more hygienic and efficient, ICA said in a statement last month.
Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, an infectious diseases expert at the National University of Singapore Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that the new measures will minimise the risk of border staff being exposed to Covid-19.
He said: "If the passport checks can be done more quickly, they can also reduce the likelihood of exposure to other passengers, if one among them was harbouring asymptomatic or mild Covid-19."
