Johor Causeway to shorten businesses to 12 hours daily beginning Friday: Malaysian senior minister
22 April, 2020
The operating hours for the Immigration Department and related agencies in Bangunan Sultan Iskandar at the Johor Causeway will be reduced to 12 hours a day starting this Friday (Apr 24), said Malaysian Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday, he announced that the customs, immigration and quarantine complex will only operate from 7am to 7pm daily.
However, he said Malaysians and Singaporeans can continue steadily to use the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex at the next Link, that will operate at any hour as usual.
"If there is an emergency, Malaysians could still return using the next Link when the Causeway is closed,” he said.
"Commercial vehicles can also move as usual at the next Link,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Ismail Sabri said predicated on reports from the Immigration Department, there's been no massive influx of Malaysians from Singapore. He said that the common number of individuals using the causeway previously four days was 400 a day.
“Actually, the Johor Bahru quarantine centre estimated only about 350 people are allowed to return and therefore as we will be able to cope,” he said, adding that the federal government offers 6,000 rooms for compulsory quarantine at 22 quarantine centres in Johor Bahru and its surrounding areas.
He added that the National Disaster Management Agency has prepared another 4,000 rooms for quarantine. This implies there exists a total of 10,000 quarantine rooms in Johor Bahru and local towns, should more Malaysians opt to return.
Malaysia's Senior Minister and Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob speaks at a press conference in Putrajaya on Mar 19, 2020. (Photo: Bernama)
By Tuesday, Mr Ismail Sabri said there are 193 quarantine centres in procedure in Malaysia, with 16,844 individuals undergoing mandatory quarantine.
He said 14,937 Malaysians who returned from abroad have been undergoing compulsory quarantine since Apr 3. He also said that 2,317 individuals had completed their isolation and were permitted to return home.
There are now a lot more than 5,400 COVID-19 cases in Malaysia, with over 90 deaths.
Under Malaysia’s movement control order, which is set to last until Apr 28, schools and non-essential businesses are closed.
People are urged to remain in the home to minimise contact as health authorities rush against the clock to contain the spread of the virus.
On Tuesday, the Singapore government announced that it will extend circuit breaker measures until Jun 1. Nowadays there are more than 9,000 COVID-19 cases in Singapore, with 11 deaths.
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