Tit-for-tat: will SG do the same to M'sia?

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Everyone entering Malaysia must agree to pay for mandatory quarantine before trip: Senior Minister Ismail Sabri

Malaysians would pay half the cost of quarantine services while non-citizens, including spouses and family members of Malaysian citizens, had to bear the full cost.ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
PUBLISHED


PUTRAJAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - All those entering Malaysia will have to bear the cost of mandatory quarantine and are to sign a letter agreeing to pay before they can make the trip to the country, says Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The Senior Minister said with the latest policy, Malaysians would pay half the cost of quarantine services while non-citizens, including spouses and family members of Malaysian citizens, had to bear the full cost.

"This will take effect from June 1 as Malaysia will continue to impose compulsory quarantine on those who return from abroad to prevent the spread of Covid-19, " he said at his daily media briefing on Wednesday (May 20).

Mr Ismail Sabri said the National Security Council had decided that Malaysian citizens would pay 50 per cent of the full charges of RM150 (S$48.75) per day.
"Non-citizens, including spouses and dependents of Malaysian citizens, will have to pay the full amount, " he said.

Mr Ismail Sabri said the council had also decided that those who wanted to come to Malaysia would have to sign a letter of undertaking, which states their agreement to bear the quarantine costs.

"The signing of the letter can be done at Malaysian embassies and high commissions. After the agreement is signed, the office will also issue a letter permitting them to return to Malaysia, " he said.

He said the Immigration Department would play its part to ensure returnees were aware of the new condition set by the government.
"The Immigration (Department) will be issuing a directive to all airline companies to make it a condition for passengers disembarking in Malaysia to have this letter of undertaking with them, " he said.
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Since April 3, the government had enforced compulsory quarantine for all Malaysians returning from abroad.

Till date, 38,371 Malaysians who returned from overseas have been quarantined.

Out of the figure, 30,200 individuals had completed the process and were allowed to go home.

On May 14, Mr Ismail Sabri said there were spouses and family members of Malaysian citizens who had refused to pay for the quarantine costs despite the government having stated clearly that it would only bear the costs for returning Malaysians.

Those who refused to pay will have their immigration facilities revoked, which will see them having to make more frequent trips to the department to renew their passes to stay in Malaysia.

On the return of Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) participants, Mr Ismail Sabri said they would have to apply to come back to Malaysia.

"We want to determine where they come from. For those from high-risk countries, the council and Health Ministry will determine if their applications should be approved," he said.

Earlier, the government said it would allow MM2H participants stranded abroad to return to Malaysia with some conditions.

Among other conditions, they must undergo Covid-19 testing at the place they are presently in and must be certified free of the disease before they are allowed to fly back in.

 

[zhihau]

hmm...

 

[castello]

Sinkie started this before bolehland mah.

"all returnees who disregarded prevailing travel advisories and left Singapore from 27 March 2020, would be required to bear the full cost of their 14-day SHN at dedicated SHN facilities. "

https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlig...tay-home-notice-requirements-to-all-countries

 

[bobby]

Some Malaysians in limbo over their job status here

Her husband remains in Singapore even though she has returned to Johor with their three-year-old son after the boy's social visit pass expired last month.

Malaysian Jessie New, 31, is expecting her second child in July, but she risks being in the midst of a quarantine when the baby's due if she were to cross the Causeway.

Her husband, who is 27, fears he will lose his job as a chef at a fine dining restaurant here if he goes back to Malaysia to be with his family.

Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, Ms New, a work permit holder, said the biggest fear now is over her husband's job, after the announcement on Tuesday that the ban on dining in for restaurants would not be lifted after June 1.

"(My husband) was prepared for a two-month closure but definitely not three months or more," said Ms New, a childcare teacher here who has been telecommuting from her home in Johor.

"We are worried he'll be retrenched if the restaurant keeps making losses, and it is so hard to find a job now... He misses us but he has to stay in Singapore to keep his job."

The circuit breaker will be formally lifted on June 1, when about a third of Singapore's workers will be able to resume duties at their workplaces.

Priority will be given to critical sectors and businesses that operate in settings with lower transmission risks. Besides no dining in at restaurants, retail stores, bars and cinemas will remain closed.

Ms Aarathi Arumugam, president of the Malaysian Association in Singapore, said many Malaysians working in food and beverage and retail outlets here have been trying to find part-time jobs but to no avail.

She said: "Some were put on half days, while others have been on unpaid leave since April. They need part-time work but no one's hiring them because it is more of a hassle to employ work permit holders.

"It is really a question of 'how long is a piece of string', because these guys were waiting for June to come, but now the timeline is in even greater doubt."

Some companies say they are doing everything they can to hold on to their Malaysian workers even as Singapore's economy reels from the pandemic.

Ms Serene Ang, chief executive officer of Foodtech F&B Ventures, said her group, which runs the likes of Menya Kokoro and Emma Soft Serve, is determined not to let go of any of its staff, including 15 Malaysian workers.

She said: "We should not be firing during this difficult period. Instead, we have arranged online classes for our employees and intensified cross-training so that they can be deployed at different outlets."

Gain City had more than 100 Malaysian employees who travelled daily to Singapore for work until Malaysia's movement control order (MCO) took effect on March 18. A spokesman for the electronics retailer said the company has housed more than 50 of its Malaysian employees.

Many of its workers have also doubled up as drivers or delivery workers to help cope with a surge in online orders, he added.

A spokesman for bookstore chain Popular said it has also provided lodging for its Malaysian staff affected by the MCO.

 

[knnb40]

I don't need the government to be like an angry bird, but at least show some dignity.
what is the used to tell us to serve NS to deter aggression even if we are to lose the invader still suffer, but yet when facing Malaysia....our government cannot wait to lick their boot.