25 September 2020
Inconsistent instructions on the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) pass for travel between Singapore and Malaysia have caused confusion among travellers.
Shameera Noordin, 32, told theSun she was baffled by conflicting directives from the Health Ministry and information on the Immigration Department website.
When applying for the RGL pass for a work trip to Singapore, she was told by a government official that upon returning to Malaysia, she was required to undergo a 14-day quarantine and bear the costs.
However, the Immigration website did not state any quarantine requirements for those under the RGL pass for a short-term trip to Singapore.
The website instead states that travellers returning to Malaysia will be subjected to the “prevailing health policy”.
Shameera said it did not furnish any further details, which can be confusing for travellers from Malaysia to Singapore.
However, the website does mention that quarantine is needed for travellers who test positive for Covid-19 and those awaiting test results.
Meanwhile, a Health Ministry spokesman said yesterday that RGL pass holders returning to Malaysia do not need to be quarantined unless they tested positive for the virus.
Faced with these conflicting statements, Shameera said: “I need to know whether I have to be quarantined upon returning to Malaysia since money and time are involved in this.”
Another traveller on frequent business trips between Malaysia and Singapore also expressed dissatisfaction over the confusion and wrote to a local daily.
“I was looking forward to arranging a trip to Singapore this week when I discovered a terrible anomaly in the implementation of the RGL.”
He said he understood that after travellers have spent 14 days or more in Singapore, they are required to do an antigen or swab test upon arrival at the KL International Airport (KLIA).
He said MoH guidelines further states that those returning to Malaysia are required to observe the quarantine period.
“Attachment 1B of the Health Ministry guidelines dated Aug 10 under the section ‘Returning to Malaysia’ states: ‘Subject to a 14-day mandatory quarantine at the designated quarantine station at own cost’.”
He sought clarification from immigration officers at KLIA and was told that those under RGL do not need to comply with the 14-day quarantine requirement.
The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) said the confusion needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
“The relevant approving bodies should also make the processes of application seamless and efficient through utilisation of online tools and applications,” said MEF executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan.
Attempts to obtain clarification on the matter from the Immigration Department were unsuccessful at press time.
Source: thesundaily.my
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