491 days have passed since the Malaysia-Singapore border was closed from March 18, 2020 when movement control was imposed last year. Tens of thousands of families have been separated for 491 days and counting. I met and knew some of these hardworking parents, who have no choice but to leave their children behind in Johor for more than a year in exchange for keeping their job in Singapore.
As a parent to young children I myself cannot imagine how to cope with being separated from your own child for a prolonged period. A newborn in March 2020 is a toddler now, running about and learning new words everyday. These Malaysian working parents in Singapore sacrificed a lot. Their eagerness to return for reunion gets stronger everyday. Home is not that far away. For most of them, their loved ones are just some 30km down the road, across the Causeway. And then there is the cost involved in Covid-10 quarantine that can reach up to RM10,000.
Seeing that there are Malaysians in Singapore initiating an online petition asking for simplified procedures for fully vaccinated people to return home, I extend my full support to their campaign. What they asked for are moderate and rational. I call upon the authority to respond immediately.
https://www.change.org/p/majlis-keselamatan-negara-allow-malaysians-in-singapore-to-return-home-without-quarantine
When the Foreign Ministers of Malaysia and Singapore met in March 23rd this year, their discussion on mutual recognition of Covid vaccines and vaccine passports were brought to public attention. Yet, after four months and numerous feel-good press releases there are no tangible progress to it. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/03/23/malaysia-singapore-work-on-recognising-vaccine-certificates-to-facilitate-c/1960301
At the same time, vaccination in both countries are making significant progress. In Singapore the number of fully vaccinated reached 2.79 million which is almost half of the population. Over here in Malaysia 4.93 million people or 15% have been fully vaccinated. Vaccination campaign is still ongoing in full force. Therefore, it is timely for both governments to explain to the public, particularly those already fully vaccinated, on the timeline and a concrete plan to simplify border clearance and quarantine procedures. This is so that their hope to return for reunion can turn into reality soon.
Frankly, many have grown impatient and are facing enormous stress. To what extent has mutual Covid vaccine recognition progressed, the public deserves a clear explanation.
We are aware of how the Covid situation has turned negative on both sides of the Causeway. A complete return normalcy pre-Covid will take months – this we are not being naive. However, before a complete lifting of Covid border control measures, the government cannot adopt a do-nothing attitude. Let those already fully vaccinated return for reunion by putting in place a more simplified yet strong mitigation and quarantine SOPs. This is all they ask for, and their voice must be heard.