JOHOR BARU: Malaysians and Singaporeans have hailed the move by their governments to allow for compassionate and emergency visits under the Death and Critically Ill Emergency Visits (DCEV) arrangement between the two countries starting May 17.
Mother of three Norshikin Mohd Salleh, 39, described the announcement as good news, especially for those who have families in Johor and the island republic.
Her younger sibling, she said, was currently working in Singapore and they haven’t met each other for more than a year due to the border closure.
“Hopefully, the rules under the new travel method between Singapore and Malaysia will not be that complex but make it easier for people to visit their loved ones who are sickly or to pay their respects to those who have passed away.
JOHOR BARU (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysians and Singaporeans have hailed the move by their governments to allow for travel on compassionate grounds between the two countries.
Mother of three Norshikin Mohd Salleh, 39, described the announcement as good news, especially for those who have families in Johor and the island republic.
Her younger sibling, she said, is working in Singapore and they have not met each other for more than a year due to the border closure. Hopefully, the rules under the new travel method between Singapore and Malaysia will not be that complex, but make it easier for people to visit their loved ones who are sickly or to pay their respects to those who have passed away.
SINGAPORE: Malaysia and Singapore have agreed on the procedures and entry requirements for compassionate and emergency visits between their peoples amid stricter border measures.
The Death and Critically Ill Emergency Visits (DCEV) arrangement will be implemented from May 17, according to a joint statement issued yesterday by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and his Singapore counterpart Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.
“This agreement provides a framework to facilitate travel between the two countries for compassionate and emergency reasons, ” it said.
Details of the procedures and entry requirements will be released by the Malaysian Immigration Department and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore.
May 3, 2021
SINGAPORE (CNA) – A cross-border travel scheme facilitating trips between Malaysia and Singapore for compassionate reasons such as death and visits to loved ones who are critically ill is set to kick off on May 17.
This was confirmed in a joint statement yesterday by Singapore Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and Malaysian Foreign Minsiter Hishammuddin Hussein, following the latter’s two-day official visit to Singapore.
The two ministers agreed during the visit to work towards the resumption of essential cross-border travel in a gradual and safe manner, the statement said.
“To this end, the two ministers agreed on the procedures and entry requirements for death and critically ill emergency visits between Singapore and Malaysia. This agreement provides a framework to facilitate travel between the two countries for compassionate and emergency reasons,” both ministers said.
Travel on compassionate grounds between Singapore and Malaysia will be allowed from May 17, amid Covid-19 restrictions that ban the bulk of cross-border movement, the two countries announced yesterday.
But given the escalating Covid-19 situation in both countries, other arrangements like an air travel bubble and short-term visits for business, as well as a planned in-person meeting in Singapore between top leaders, will be put on hold.
The details of the special travel arrangements on compassionate grounds will be released later, but these will include steps like testing visitors for the coronavirus as well as the need for quarantine, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan yesterday.