The Movement Control Order (MCO) lockdown implemented in Malaysia has affected many Malaysians living in Singapore.
In particular, Malaysians overseas planning on returning home might be unsure about the procedure they have to go through.
One Ms Chiang, an Ipohian who lives in Singapore, recently decided to return to Malaysia.
On Friday (3 Apr), she took to Facebook to document her journey back, at the same time sharing the documents she had to prepare.
According to Ms Chiang, 2 documents were needed to get from Singapore to Johor Bahru (JB).
The first is an Exit Declaration Form approved beforehand by her company.
Ms Chiang explained that though the form is not mandatory, it would save Malaysians returning home the hassle of being asked a barrage of questions.
The form in question will be “taken away” at the Singapore customs. Hence, she urged fellow travellers to take a picture of it for precautionary reasons.
The 2nd form is a Health Declaration Form from a Singapore doctor confirming that the returning Malaysian is medically well with no Covid-19 symptoms.
To attain this document, Ms Chiang says one needs only to visit a clinic and inform the staff about the “checkup” needed to return to Malaysia. Visitors can also pre-book their clinic appointments.
Most importantly, Ms Chiang emphasises that the trip to the clinic must happen on the day the visitor is returning to Malaysia.
Ms Chiang also wrote in her post that Malaysians can only return through Woodlands Causeway and not via the Second Link in Tuas.
At the Singapore customs, visitors would apparently have to show the 2 documents mentioned above to the officers. Apart from that, the exit procedure is as usual.
However, as there are reportedly no buses operating across the Causeway, travellers would have to cross on foot. This journey took Ms Chiang around 30-40 minutes.
As she reached the Malaysian customs, officers on duty apparently took her temperature and asked about her destination and if she had a place to stay at.
Ms Chiang urged fellow visitors to prepare their addresses in advance, presumably so as to not waste time at the customs.
This likely had to do with the measure which required Malaysians returning home from overseas to be placed on quarantine for 14 days upon their arrival.
However, the government will reportedly do away with this practice soon. Malaysians returning from Singapore who test negative for a Coivd-19 test in Singapore will not be required to be quarantined.
Ms Chiang also reminded Malaysians to take precautionary measures at the customs, such as wearing a mask and maintaining a 1-metre distance from each other.
Officers then handed her a Quarantine Form — an “important” document which visitors have to show the police should they encounter a roadblock.
Malaysians who stay outside Johor and are driving home themselves would also have to register at a police station with the Quarantine Form.
According to Ms Chiang, returnees have 3 options of returning home if they clear the customs before 8pm:
However, she advised fellow Malaysians not to go with the cab options as drivers would apparently charge a ‘king’s ransom’ – aka a lot of money.
After 8pm, returnees would only have 2 options — book a Grab ride or hail a taxi. However, Grab rides, will apparently end at 10pm.
Ms Chiang also put out a disclaimer at the end of her post, saying “that’s all she knows”, but hopes she had helped other Malaysians with their trip back home.
Malaysians are also advised to double check on official government websites before planning their trips home. We’ve linked the Malaysian Immigrations Department website here.
If you have a Malaysian friend or loved one who plans on returning home soon, share this with them so they have a clearer picture of what to expect.
That said, the situation remains fluid, so some requirements might change in the days to come.
While the additional measures will no doubt bring about some degree of inconvenience, we hope it will eventually help to bring the Covid-19 situation for our closest neighbours under control.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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