KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Singapore held their second Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on Covid-19 via video conference on Monday.
The meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr. Noor Azmi Ghazali with his Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Transport and Health Dr. Lam Pin Min.
At the meeting, both countries updated on the coronavirus situations in their respective countries, shared existing temperature screening procedures at land and sea checkpoints, and discussed a set of protocols for the transfer of symptomatic travellers detected at entry screening back across the land and sea checkpoints between Malaysia and Singapore.
“The JWG agreed to continue entry screenings by both countries, align temperature screening protocols by applying the same temperature cut-off (>37.5°C) for febrile travellers, and implement reciprocal arrangements for the transfer of symptomatic travellers detected at entry screening back across the land and sea checkpoints,” said a statement from the Health Ministry.
The statement also said that the co-chairs tasked the senior officials of the JWG to coordinate the implementation of these initiatives, which would serve as a comprehensive package to enhance joint border screening at both the land and sea borders connecting Malaysia and Singapore.
“The JWG acknowledged the recent establishment of the Malaysia-Singapore Special Working Committee (SWC) on Covid-19 to discuss a joint plan to ensure the safe and sustainable movement of people, goods and services between both countries during Malaysia’s Movement Control Order”.
The statement added that the JWG agreed to continue health discussions specific to these matters separately under the SWC.
The third meeting of the JWG is planned for April 2020.