Singapore, Malaysia aim to expand land VTL to general travellers

Talks will also begin on allowing S’pore cruise ships to call at Malaysian ports

- Lim Min Zhang

Singapore and Malaysia are aiming to expand the land Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme, which began yesterday, to include general travelers 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.”