Businesses in Johor Bahru, Malaysia are struggling with the lack of Singaporean visitors since the start of the pandemic.
They have called on the Malaysian government to begin talks with Singapore as soon as possible to reopen the border,
One such entreaty was made by an adviser to the SME Association of South Johor, Teh Kee Sin, who said that many SMEs in the area were now worried about cash flow, given that a loan moratorium by the government had ended.
The government in Putrajaya must begin holding talks with Singapore about allowing the movement of people into Johor, he added.
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Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Johor Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad held a video conference on Thursday (10 Dec) to discuss plans to reopen the land borders between the nation.
It has been about nine months since the land borders between Singapore and Johor were closed for leisure travel in mid-March in a bid to control the COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia. The Malaysian Federal Government’s decision to keep the land borders closed has greatly affected the hundreds of thousands of people who used to cross over the borders daily.
Malaysians who work and study in Singapore have had to either quit what they were doing in the country or choose to remain in Singapore without being able to see their families. Singaporeans who have family members in Malaysia have also been affected by the border closures – Singaporeans with Malaysian spouses and parents who live across the Causeway have been unable to see their loved ones for three quarter