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Arguably one of the biggest news this week has to be the implementation of the CMCO or Conditional Movement Control Order in Malaysia. After experiencing an upsurge of Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, Malaysia has decided to curb the new wave with the implementation of this CMCO. Similar to the past CMCO, this CMCO will limit the movement of the residents in the affected states.
The CMCO is in effect for the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Selangor state. It began earlier this week on Wednesday, 14 October, and is currently set to last till 27 October this year.
Under the CMCO most industries can continue their operations under the condition that they practice the health precautions in place. Meanwhile, schools and places of worship have been closed along with the ban on sporting events in the country.
This decision might have been influenced by the interstate travel ban enforced in Sabah last week, which was also due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases there. Together, the CMCO is said to affect around 11 million or 30% of the country’s population.
For more information on the CMCO and travel advisories, please check with the respective authorities.
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Announced on Thursday, 15 October, Hong Kong, and Singapore has decided to set up a travel bubble between the two cities. With the low incidence of COVID-19 cases in the two cities, the decision was made in order to re-establish overseas travel and lift complications such as quarantine or stay-home notices for visiting travelers.
In this new travel bubble, there will be no travel purpose restrictions and controlled itinerary but, travelers will still need to test negative on the COVID-19 test and travel on dedicated flights for those traveling under this new bubble.
Currently, there are no set dates for the launch of this new travel bubble. The launch date and implementation details will be announced in due course, according to the ministry.
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Some more welcoming news in the travel world. Today, 16 October, the Trans-Tasman travel bubble is in effect. This travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia, with the first passengers arriving in Sydney, Australia earlier today.
The travelers arriving in Australia from New Zealand are not required to quarantine themselves upon arrival. This is in line with Australia’s tentative reopening to international tourism. However, the arrangement is not reciprocal between the two countries. Travelers from Australia traveling to New Zealand will still be required to undergo the 14-day quarantine amongst other requirements. Travelers from the no-quarantine flights might still need to be quarantined depending on the Australian state or territory they are planning to enter.
Please refer to the respective authorities for more details on the travel advisories and safety measures in place.
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The prospect of traveling between Singapore and Indonesia looks to be promising. Similar to the other reciprocal green lanes between Singapore and some other countries which are already in effect, Indonesia looks to be the next addition to that list.
Indonesia and Singapore have agreed on implementing a reciprocal green lane which will allow for essential business and official travel between the two countries. Applications for travel under this reciprocal green lane will begin on 26 Oct. The application is only open for Singapore and Indonesian residents as well as permanent residents of the two countries.
The requirements are similar to the other reciprocal green lane arrangements with the need for sponsors for travel, SafeTravel Pass / Visas, Pre-departure and Post-arrival COVID-19 tests.
Points of entry and exits have also been designated. For air travel, Changi Airport and Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has been designated. For Sea Travel, Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Batam Centre Ferry Terminal has been chosen as the points of entry and exit. This point of entry and exit is a measure to reduce the possibility of infectious patients slipping into the communities.
To read more about the Reciprocal Green Lane Arrangements, check out our blog “Everything you need to know about Singapore's Green Lanes Travel Arrangement".
Please refer to the respective authorities for more details on the travel advisories and safety measures in place.
