Joyful reunions as Malaysia-Singapore land border reopens

Malaysians working in Singapore are holding joyful reunions with their loved ones after returning to their homeland following the partial reopening of a land border that has been shuttered for nearly two years due to the pandemic

JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia -- Malaysians working in Singapore held joyful reunions with their loved ones after returning to their homeland on Monday following the partial reopening of a land border that has been shuttered for nearly two years due to the pandemic.

Buses ferried fully vaccinated passengers across the Causeway Bridge that connects the island of Singapore with the Malaysian peninsula, with strict measures in place including pre-departure and on-arrival COVID-19 tests.

Malaysian Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin tweeted that a COVID-19 case was detected during the screening in southern Johor state, but didn't elaborate. “As we safely reopen our borders, there will be positive cases at points of entry. Risk assessment, isolation and monitoring close contacts will become the norm," he said.

Under the first phase, only 1,440 travelers who must be citizens, permanent residents or long-term pass holders are allowed from each side per day. The Causeway was one of the world’s busiest land borders before the pandemic struck. Air travel also reopened Monday with fewer restrictions, allowing anyone who is fully vaccinated to travel quarantine-free between the two countries.