Singapore map
SINGAPORE, 1st April (RHC) – Singapore today fully reopened its borders to all vaccinated visitors after a two-year closure due to the pandemic.
In doing so, the country joins other nations in the region who have recently lifted travel restrictions as they live with Covid-19.
Previously, only travelers from a few specific locations were allowed to enter Singapore without quarantine, but from this Friday all vaccinated arrivals will only need a negative PCR test.
Land borders with neighboring Malaysia also reopened fully on Friday after partially going through since last year.
Thousands of people have been traveling by car, motorcycle and on foot between the two countries since midnight today.
According to the Straits Times and Channel News Asia, people began gathering at the border checkpoint at 7:30 p.m. local time in Singapore on Thursday to celebrate a chance to reunite with family and friends in Malaysia.
On the other hand, the atmosphere in the city of Johor Bahru was just as lively, with many gathering to await the arrival of relatives.
More than 11,000 travelers passed through checkpoints in Woodlands and Tuas as of 7 a.m. local time on Friday, Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said in a statement.
At least 400,000 people are expected to cross the border in the first week of full reopening, Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghaz said this week.
Before the pandemic, more than 300,000 people crossed the land border every day, making it one of the busiest in the world.
Singapore was Malaysia’s largest source of visitors in 2019, with around 10 million arrivals, according to the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
That number dropped to 1.5 million in 2020, made up mostly of visitors in the first few months of the year before the lockdowns (source: PL).