Last night, Malaysia announced that it would impose a Movement Control Order to combat the spread of COVID-19. This was not surprising, as many other countries have already imposed similar lockdowns.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and I discussed the situation on the phone today. I told him that I understood the reasons why he had made this move, and wished Malaysia success in containing the outbreak. I was happy to hear his reassurance that the flow of goods and cargo between Singapore and Malaysia, including food supplies, would continue.
However, Malaysians living in Johor but working in Singapore will have to comply with the Malaysian lockdown. This will prevent them from commuting daily, at least for the time being. We are therefore working out arrangements with our companies to help these Malaysian workers stay in Singapore temporarily, if they would like to do so.
We also agreed to appoint Senior Ministers on both sides – SM Teo Chee Hean and Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri – to coordinate our responses to the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly on measures where we can work together, or where the actions of one country will affect the other. They are already in touch, but it may take a couple of days for arrangements to be worked out and to settle down.
Meanwhile, I am happy to see that in the supermarkets, while the queues are longer than usual, people are taking it in their stride and only buying what they need. We need not worry, as we have prepared for such an eventuality, and have plans in place to cope. Glad that Singaporeans are calm, united and resilient as we solve the problems at hand. – LHL
#SGUnited
(The Causeway from above. Taken in 2017 during my visit to Putrajaya. / Photo by me)
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