Malaysians in Singapore told to stay put for another two weeks

PUTRAJAYA — Malaysians in Singapore have been asked to remain in the Republic for another two weeks in the wake of stricter measures enforced in Singapore to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Malaysia's Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said his ministry was in discussions with the Singapore authorities about the possibility of employers in the Republic keeping their Malaysian workers for two more weeks, state news agency Bernama reported.

“If they return to Malaysia, they will need to be screened for further action,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday (April 7).

This comes after Singapore's “circuit breaker” measures came into effect on Tuesday, with all non-essential workplaces ordered to close until May 4 in order to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Previously, Malaysian Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the Malaysia-Singapore joint working group on Covid-19 would meet to discuss changes to the rules allowing Malaysians to come home.

He said these citizens would not be allowed to return until the changes were finalised.

In a press conference on Monday, Mr Ismail Sabri said under the existing agreement, Malaysians who work in Singapore and want to return home must be tested for Covid-19 in the Republic.

Bernama reported that 12,000 Malaysians had returned from Singapore between April 2 and April 6.

Malaysia's movement control order, implemented since March 18 in order to reduce Covid-19 transmission, is slated to end on April 14 after being extended from its original end date of March 31. The Malaysian government is expected to announce on Friday if the order will be extended further. AGENCIES