Joint Press Statement by PM Lee Hsien Loong and PM Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on the launch of Vaccinated Travel Lanes

Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong and Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob spoke on the phone on 8 November 2021.

The Prime Ministers recognised that COVID-19 has disrupted people to people connections between the two countries, and separated families for many months. Given the significant progress that both countries have made in vaccinating their respective populations and managing the COVID-19 pandemic, the Prime Ministers agreed that it is timely to progressively resume cross-border travel between both countries, in a safe manner.

Singapore and Malaysia will launch a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport from 29 November 2021. Under the VTL, fully vaccinated travellers will be able to travel between Singapore and Malaysia, and be subjected to COVID-19 tests in lieu of serving quarantine or Stay-Home Notice.

The Prime Ministers also look forward to restoring travel across the land links between both countries in the near future. They were happy to note the good progress in ongoing detailed discussions on a similar vaccinated travel scheme, to reopen travel across the Causeway and the Second Link, taking into account the public health situations in Johor and Singapore.

PM Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said “the VTLs are another important milestone in the longstanding Malaysia-Singapore cooperation. The VTLs will allow travel as our two countries gradually reopen our borders responsibly by balancing the need to recover our economies while ensuring safety and health of our peoples from COVID-19. I look forward to effective implementation of this travel scheme, adding to those we already have developed previously to facilitate movements of people and goods between Malaysia and Singapore”.

“Singapore and Malaysia enjoy deep, warm and multi-faceted relations. I am very happy that both our countries are finally able to restart cross-border travel through the VTLs. This will help revive our economies, restore our people-to-people ties, and strengthen our bilateral relationship,” PM Lee Hsien Loong said.

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PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE

PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, MALAYSIA

8 November 2021