KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to temporarily suspend the sale of flight and bus tickets for the vaccinated travel lane (VTL), starting Thursday until Jan 20.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said both countries made the decision after Singapore identified a Covid-19 cluster due to local transmissions on Monday.
The cluster, he said, has clocked three positive cases so far.
"Further tests found that two of the three cases are Omicron probable cases, while the test results for other cases are still pending.
"All three cases (that tested positive) did not have any travel history to foreign countries," he said in a statement today.
Khairy said travellers who have already purchased their bus or flight tickets and fulfil the requirements to travel will still be allowed to make their trips.
The ticket sales, he said, will only resume on Jan 20, after both countries conduct a Covid-19 risk assessment. However, the existing quota for tickets will be reduced.
Khairy said travellers can refer to the Transport Ministry and the International Trade and Industry Ministry for further information regarding the suspension of ticket sales.
"The Health Ministry also advises all travellers to be responsible and adhere to the regulations and standard operating procedures (SOP).
"Take Covid-19 self-tests periodically to identify your risk levels and also to reduce the risk of transmission to others," he said.
The VTL was launched on Nov 29 for fully vaccinated individuals to travel between Malaysia and Singapore.
Although travellers using this facility will be exempted from undergoing mandatory quarantine, they will still have to undergo Covid-19 screening before departure and upon arrival.