JOHOR BARU – The decision by the Malaysian and Singapore governments to suspend the sale of bus and flight tickets under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) is a precautionary measure to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad said he hoped the suspension would be temporary and be lifted once the situation returns to normal with the decline in the Omicron variant cases in Singapore.
“But what is important now is that the VTL is not closed, as it is a commitment made by both countries which, at the same time, gives confidence to Johor to reopen all sectors including tourism,” he told reporters after a flag-off ceremony of Johor Umno Youth and flood relief contribution to the people of Johor at the State Liaison Office here today.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that the sale of ground tickets and VTL flights was temporarily suspended from December 23 to January 20 next year, and would reopen after a risk assessment was made based on the current Covid-19 situation in both countries.
The decision, he said, took into consideration a report of the Singapore Health Ministry on December 20 after a local Covid-19 cluster involving three positive cases was detected.
When asked to comment on flood preparations, Hasni said the state government has allocated RM27 million for the upgrading of the drainage system and RM32 million for maintenance, adding that with the allocation, the maintenance of affected roads or flood-prone areas can be carried out accordingly. – Bernama, December 25, 2021
