Singapore, Malaysia to allow cross-border travel on compassionate grounds from May 17 [FULL]

Travel on compassionate grounds between Singapore and Malaysia will be allowed from May 17, amid Covid-19 restrictions that ban the bulk of cross-border movement. Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan made the announcement on Sunday (May 2) together with his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who was on a two-day official visit to Singapore till Sunday. The details of such travel arrangements will be released later, but these will include steps like testing visitors for the coronavirus as well as the need for quarantine, said Dr Balakrishnan. The two leaders also discussed a potential air travel bubble between Singapore and Malaysia, and Mr Hishammuddin said that in order to proceed, further negotiations with the transport ministries of both countries will be required. They also talked about mutually recognising vaccine certificates to facilitate cross-border travel in the future, which will be done digitally, noted Mr Hishammuddin. He added that for such travel to happen, the digital