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SINGAPORE-Kelvin Teo, a 35-year-old biotechnologist, has not returned home since March 18 last year, when Malaysia imposed a partial lockdown as the Covid-19 pandemic worsened.
It’s great to meet their family and friends in Johor Bahru. He and his 34-year-old wife Christine Poh showed up at the Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange at 5:30 on Monday morning (November 29). The first underground bus was vaccinated 2.5 hours in advance of the lane (VTL) originally scheduled to depart at 8 am.
Interior designer Ms. Poh told The Straits Times: “When Malaysia announced the blockade, we decided to come to Singapore for two weeks because my husband worked here. However, two weeks became two years.”
Mr. Zhang said: "Our parents didn't know that we were coming. They called us every night and asked if we had booked tickets. We planned to surprise them."
The couple carried a suitcase of snacks, including footage from Don Don Donki to Ms. Poh's three nieces.
The couple is one of about 1,440 people who are expected to leave Singapore through the VTL, which was successfully launched on Monday. The only minor issue was that a woman was denied boarding because she was not a long-term pass holder in Malaysia. Only citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders of the country they enter can travel under the first phase of land VTL.
The other two passengers did not show up.
The 41-year-old Malaysian waitress Woo Pey Fen and her two children are also waiting in line. Last Thursday, the family spent 8 hours using four devices before trying to book a bus ticket.
12-year-old Zhanhua said that he is looking forward to eating home-cooked chicken chops made by his grandmother.
He said: "We are very close to our grandmother. Our family raises their own chickens. You can't find such crispy and juicy chicken chops here."
His only regret is: "My father is too busy to go back with us. But he asked us to help him hug his parents."
Mr. Kelvin Teo (second from right) and his wife Christine Poh wait to board the bus to Malaysia at the Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange on November 29, 2021. ST Photo: LIM YAOHUI
By 6:30 in the morning, the bus operator Transtar Travel checked the basic documents that passengers must carry with them, and there were 15 people waiting in line. These include vaccination certificates and pre-departure Covid-19 test results.
At about 9:10 in the morning, the Transtar Travel bus entered the Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal in Johor Bahru.
It is expected that about 1,440 Singaporean citizens, permanent residents and Singapore long-term pass holders will also enter the Republic through the Causeway on Monday.
The land VTL currently prioritizes Singaporean or Malaysian workers who have been unable to return to their homes since the land border was closed in March last year.
Passengers no longer need to be quarantined upon arrival, which is different from those who return home through regular commuting arrangements, which require 7 days of quarantine at designated facilities or hotels upon arrival in Malaysia or Singapore.
Instead, they must have a pre-departure polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or professionally implemented rapid antigen test (ART) test negative within two days before departure. Upon arrival, they also need to undergo an ART test.
In preparation for the first trip, Transtar Travel thoroughly disinfected and disinfected its buses.
In a video posted on Facebook, the Singapore bus company detailed the thorough disinfection process its buses went through, which included wiping passenger seats and high contact points with hospital-grade disinfectant.
The electrostatic atomizer provides a second layer of protection against Covid-19, which can be spread through the air.
Transtar Travel is one of the two designated bus operators and will operate 64 VTL buses between Malaysia and Singapore every day. Each trip can accommodate up to 45 passengers.
Passengers heading to Malaysia line up at the Transtar Travel counter at the Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange on November 29, 2021. ST Photo: LIM YAOHUI
Another bus operator is Malaysian bus company Handal Indah, also known as Causeway Link.
At the Queen Street terminal, the first two VTL buses operated by Handal Indah will depart at 9 am, and solo travelers and family members are buzzing with excitement.
Due to the delay of the buses arriving from Johor Bahru, both buses left after about half an hour, and Causeway Link had to deploy two additional buses. Two passengers on each bus departing from the Queen Street Bus Terminal did not show up, which caused further delays.
The first one is Chen Huiyang, who will celebrate her 33rd birthday with her family in Johor Bahru for the first time since 2019.
"I couldn't sleep last night. I was so excited, counting down the time," Ms. Tan said.
She wakes up at 4 in the morning and starts to line up at 6:50 in the morning.
"Before Covid-19, I would go back every weekend. I miss my family, especially my niece and nephew, but through video calls, things are fine," she added.
"I can't wait to see my 83-year-old grandma. Every week, she will give me a video call and she will tell me not to be sad (I can't come back) and I will go home soon."
On November 29, 2021, Ms. Tan Hui Yang (flower top) from the education industry and her aunt Sherry Sim waited for the bus to Malaysia at the Queen Street terminal. ST Photo: NG SOR LUAN
Ms. Chen booked a VTL flight to Kuala Lumpur and another flight from the Malaysian capital to Johor Bahru, but cancelled these flights after the VTL land was announced.
Another passenger, Ms. Moon Chong, is expected to spend more than 12 hours returning to her hometown in Perak to visit her two sons, who are 5 and 7 years old. Her bus is expected to depart at 9.45am.
"I have to take a bus from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur, and then from Kuala Lumpur to Perak, but I couldn't make a reservation. I want to be home at 10 o'clock tonight, hope so," said the 30-year-old. Said the administrator.
"I can't wait to meet my two children, they haven't seen them since last Chinese New Year," she added. "It's very difficult because I missed my seven-year-old son's first primary school. I have missed their birthdays for two years. My husband failed to take time off, so he won't come back with me."
Handal Indah employees check passenger documents at the Queen Street Terminal on November 29, 2021. ST Photo: NG SOR LUAN
At about 9:50 in the morning, the first batch of buses from Malaysia arrived at the Queen Street Bus Terminal.
Upon arrival, passengers will head to the blocked area, where they will receive ART at a temporary swab center. If travelers test positive for Covid-19, they will have to undergo a PCR confirmation test at the center.
People who test positive for PCR will be quarantined for 10 days and go through a family rehabilitation program.
When announcing the details of the land VTL last Wednesday, Minister of Trade and Industry Yan Jinyong said that the daily quota of passengers allowed to cross Causeway Bay according to travel arrangements will be reviewed on a weekly basis.
The authorities are studying whether train travel can be part of the land VTL plan, but it will take some time to allow private cars to travel under land VTL, and a reservation or registration system is needed so that the authorities can track the number of transit passengers.
In a statement last Wednesday, the Prime Minister's Office stated that the two countries will consider the public health situation and will gradually expand the VTL to include general passengers and resume travel through the Tuas Second Corridor.
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MCI (P) 031/10/2021, MCI (P) 032/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. The number is 202120748H. Copyright © 2021 SPH Media Limited. all rights reserved.
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