Joyful reunions as Malaysia-Singapore land border reopens

By SYAWALLUDIN ZAIN
Associated Press

JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysians working in Singapore are holding joyful reunions with their loved ones after returning to their homeland following the partial reopening of a land border that has been shuttered for nearly two years due to the pandemic. Buses ferried fully vaccinated passengers on Monday across the Causeway Bridge that connects the island of Singapore with the Malaysian peninsula, with strict measures in place including pre-departure and on-arrival COVID-19 tests. Malaysia’s health minister tweeted that a COVID-19 case was detected during the screening, but didn’t elaborate. The Causeway was among the world’s busiest land borders before the pandemic struck. Air travel reopened with fewer restrictions, allowing anyone who is fully vaccinated to travel quarantine-free between the countries.