Travellers worry about screening at Johor checkpoints
Daily travellers between Malaysia and Singapore are concerned over what they see as a lack of temperature screening at Johor’s checkpoints following the coronavirus outbreak.
Frequent travellers say there is no screening at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine for those arriving by motorcycles, cars, buses or trains.
About 8,000 passengers use the KTMB train services between Woodlands and Johor Baru Sentral on a daily basis, with KTMB providing 31 trips via its Tebrau shuttle.
Private security officer K. Visvam, 38, who enters the island republic on his motorcycle daily for work, said he never noticed any screening at the BSI CIQ.
“So far, it has been a smooth journey for me and many other motorcyclists as there has been no screening carried out on the motorcycle lane, ” he added.
Frequent traveller S. Tamilarunan, 32, said he was surprised that there was no screening done at the motorcycle lane when he enters Malaysia.
“I thought there will be stringent checks in the wake of the virus but it seems the authorities on the Malaysian side are leaving everything to their Singaporean counterparts, ” he said.
Mother of two Natalie Ten Yen Ling, 40, who went on a holiday with her family to Singapore recently, said there was stringent screening at the Woodlands side.
“We were caught in a massive jam due to the stringent checks by Singapore but when we entered Malaysia, it was a swift and smooth experience with no screening, much to our dismay, ” she said.
Karen Ng, 26, who works as an auxiliary police officer in Singapore, did not notice any checks as she passed through BSI on her way back to her hometown in Melaka on a bus to celebrate Chinese New Year.
”There is a long queue due to the high number of travellers at the clearance counters inside BSI but there were no screenings at all.”
Meanwhile, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal is calling for stringent security control at all entry points into the state, especially at the Senai International Airport, BSI and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex at the Second Link.
“The government, through the agencies that are involved in the safety and security, should give confidence to the people through all kinds of medium, especially social media.
“This involves sharing strategy that has been implemented by the government through the Health Ministry, ” he said in his speech during the state level security management programme held at Kota Iskandar here yesterday.
~The Star~
Thursday 30 January 2020
Wuhan virus to hit Singapore’s tourism sector
Wuhan virus to hit Singapore’s tourism sector, but too soon to assess impact on overall economy: Experts
The Wuhan virus outbreak is set to impact Singapore’s tourism-related sectors in the coming months and possibly “cast a shadow” on economic growth for the first quarter, some economists said.
But with uncertainties still swirling over the severity and spread of the virus, it is too early to tell how big a hit the new infectious coronavirus could have on the overall Singapore economy this year, they told CNA.
As of Tuesday (Jan 28), Singapore has confirmed seven cases of the China-originated virus.
Speaking at a multi-agency press conference on Monday, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing warned that the outbreak will affect Singapore’s economy, business and consumer confidence in 2020, with tourism-related sectors being of “immediate concern”.
CIMB Private Banking economist Song Seng Wun said this impact on tourism will likely start showing as soon as next month, particularly after authorities in China announced a halt of all group tours, both at home and to other countries, with effect from Monday.
China is the biggest source of tourists to Singapore, accounting for nearly one fifth of total visitor arrivals, he said.
Already, one travel agency has seen a flurry of cancellations by Chinese tour groups over the past few days. Dynasty Travel’s director of public relations and communications Alicia Seah told CNA that its bookings from China for February have “all been cancelled”.
Mr Song said: “The latest measure will see visitor arrivals for February being affected and other frontline sectors, like retail and F&B (food and beverage), will also take some impact.”
“The longer this ban stays in place, the bigger the impact,” he added. “And if the developments over the next month prove to be not as favourable, then it won’t just be the Chinese that are travelling less but across all nationalities. That will further impact the tourism-related sectors here.”
Ms Selena Ling, OCBC’s head of treasury research and strategy, also told CNA that the tour cancellations, alongside some hit to business and economic confidence, in the wake of the Wuhan virus outbreak will likely “cast a shadow” over Singapore’s economic growth momentum in the first quarter of 2020.
In a bid to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, China has also rolled out other measures, such as extending the Chinese New Year holiday. The effect of this extended break on factory output, alongside lower consumer spending as people stay at home, will have a “significant hit” on the Chinese economy for the first quarter, said economist Rajiv Biswas from IHS Markit.
This weaker Chinese demand for imports of goods and services could have “flow-on effects” to Singapore’s manufacturing sector, which exports raw materials, intermediate and finished goods to China, the chief economist for Asia-Pacific added.
FULL IMPACT STILL TOO EARLY TO TELL: ECONOMISTS
But beyond that, these three economists stressed that it is still too early to assess the full impact of the virus on the Singapore economy.
Ms Ling said: “The key questions are how long this will last, whether it will get more severe from here and what control measures are taken that might disrupt productivity.
“While people seem to be looking to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) as a proxy, it is still too early to tell the full impact for now.”
Echoing that, Mr Biswas said the extent of the negative hit on Singapore’s economic growth remains “highly uncertain, depending on the speed with which the Wuhan virus epidemic is contained”.
Mr Song also noted that at the moment, consumer confidence in Singapore appears to be unaffected.
“The thing to note is whether people are reassured by the immediate remedial measures that have been implemented. Compared with the SARS period where we were dealing with a virus outbreak for the first time, we’ve since had Zika and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus) and I think we are far better prepared in our preventive measures,” he said.
“People seem to have gone on with their daily activities for now, though more are wearing masks. As long as people carry on with their daily lives, the impact on domestic activities won’t be as severe.”
Nevertheless, economists noted that the outbreak coincides with a dip in overall exports and growth in Singapore’s economy, suggesting less wiggle room should a worst case scenario happens.
As such, Ms Ling said she is mulling a slash in the lower-end of her full-year growth estimate.
“We were looking at 1 to 2 per cent for Singapore’s economy in 2020, but we may adjust to 0 to 2 per cent to accommodate the potential downside risks,” she said.
HELP FOR AFFECTED BUSINESSES – HOW BIG AND HOW SOON?
Mr Chan on Monday had said that the Government will implement necessary measures to help businesses impacted by the Wuhan virus, as with previous episodes such as the SARS outbreak in 2003.
These could include reducing business costs, alleviating cash flow problems and help to retain workers.
During the SARS outbreak in 2003, the Government rolled out a S$230 million relief package to support the most adversely hit sectors.
For the tourism-related industries, these included property tax rebates, reduction in foreign worker levy for unskilled workers, a bridging loan programme for small- and medium-sized enterprises to alleviate short-term cash-flow problems and enhanced training grants.
The transport sector saw targeted measures such as diesel tax rebates for taxis and waivers of taxi operator license fees.
Economists said it remains too early to speculate if the Government will release a relief package of a similar quantum this time round. They also had mixed views if help could come as early as the upcoming Budget in February.
For instance, Mr Biswas thinks the upcoming Budget statement, which will be delivered on Feb 18 by Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, could include measures to assist the vulnerable tourism and travel sectors.
On the other hand, Ms Ling reckoned that it is still early days into the virus outbreak and the Government could take a “wait and watch" approach.
IMPACT ACROSS THE REST OF ASIA
As of Tuesday, the death toll in China has jumped to 106 and the number of total confirmed cases up to 4,515, the country’s authorities said.
Across the world, confirmed cases have also been reported in Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States, heightening fears of the global economic impact of the new deadly virus.
For Asia Pacific, the Wuhan coronavirus poses a “significant downside risk” to region’s economic outlook in the near term, if the epidemic continues to escalate in coming weeks, said Mr Biswas.
“The extent and duration of this negative shock to regional economic growth will depend on how quickly the Wuhan virus epidemic can be brought under control, which remains very uncertain.”
Governments in Asia Pacific are likely to respond with a range of fiscal and monetary policy stimulus measures to prop up growth momentum in the near term. In particular, measures to help the tourism and travel sectors which are particularly vulnerable to this economic shock, he added.
Source: CNA/sk
The Wuhan virus outbreak is set to impact Singapore’s tourism-related sectors in the coming months and possibly “cast a shadow” on economic growth for the first quarter, some economists said.
But with uncertainties still swirling over the severity and spread of the virus, it is too early to tell how big a hit the new infectious coronavirus could have on the overall Singapore economy this year, they told CNA.
As of Tuesday (Jan 28), Singapore has confirmed seven cases of the China-originated virus.
Speaking at a multi-agency press conference on Monday, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing warned that the outbreak will affect Singapore’s economy, business and consumer confidence in 2020, with tourism-related sectors being of “immediate concern”.
CIMB Private Banking economist Song Seng Wun said this impact on tourism will likely start showing as soon as next month, particularly after authorities in China announced a halt of all group tours, both at home and to other countries, with effect from Monday.
China is the biggest source of tourists to Singapore, accounting for nearly one fifth of total visitor arrivals, he said.
Already, one travel agency has seen a flurry of cancellations by Chinese tour groups over the past few days. Dynasty Travel’s director of public relations and communications Alicia Seah told CNA that its bookings from China for February have “all been cancelled”.
Mr Song said: “The latest measure will see visitor arrivals for February being affected and other frontline sectors, like retail and F&B (food and beverage), will also take some impact.”
“The longer this ban stays in place, the bigger the impact,” he added. “And if the developments over the next month prove to be not as favourable, then it won’t just be the Chinese that are travelling less but across all nationalities. That will further impact the tourism-related sectors here.”
Ms Selena Ling, OCBC’s head of treasury research and strategy, also told CNA that the tour cancellations, alongside some hit to business and economic confidence, in the wake of the Wuhan virus outbreak will likely “cast a shadow” over Singapore’s economic growth momentum in the first quarter of 2020.
In a bid to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, China has also rolled out other measures, such as extending the Chinese New Year holiday. The effect of this extended break on factory output, alongside lower consumer spending as people stay at home, will have a “significant hit” on the Chinese economy for the first quarter, said economist Rajiv Biswas from IHS Markit.
This weaker Chinese demand for imports of goods and services could have “flow-on effects” to Singapore’s manufacturing sector, which exports raw materials, intermediate and finished goods to China, the chief economist for Asia-Pacific added.
FULL IMPACT STILL TOO EARLY TO TELL: ECONOMISTS
But beyond that, these three economists stressed that it is still too early to assess the full impact of the virus on the Singapore economy.
Ms Ling said: “The key questions are how long this will last, whether it will get more severe from here and what control measures are taken that might disrupt productivity.
“While people seem to be looking to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) as a proxy, it is still too early to tell the full impact for now.”
Echoing that, Mr Biswas said the extent of the negative hit on Singapore’s economic growth remains “highly uncertain, depending on the speed with which the Wuhan virus epidemic is contained”.
Mr Song also noted that at the moment, consumer confidence in Singapore appears to be unaffected.
“The thing to note is whether people are reassured by the immediate remedial measures that have been implemented. Compared with the SARS period where we were dealing with a virus outbreak for the first time, we’ve since had Zika and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus) and I think we are far better prepared in our preventive measures,” he said.
“People seem to have gone on with their daily activities for now, though more are wearing masks. As long as people carry on with their daily lives, the impact on domestic activities won’t be as severe.”
Nevertheless, economists noted that the outbreak coincides with a dip in overall exports and growth in Singapore’s economy, suggesting less wiggle room should a worst case scenario happens.
As such, Ms Ling said she is mulling a slash in the lower-end of her full-year growth estimate.
“We were looking at 1 to 2 per cent for Singapore’s economy in 2020, but we may adjust to 0 to 2 per cent to accommodate the potential downside risks,” she said.
HELP FOR AFFECTED BUSINESSES – HOW BIG AND HOW SOON?
Mr Chan on Monday had said that the Government will implement necessary measures to help businesses impacted by the Wuhan virus, as with previous episodes such as the SARS outbreak in 2003.
These could include reducing business costs, alleviating cash flow problems and help to retain workers.
During the SARS outbreak in 2003, the Government rolled out a S$230 million relief package to support the most adversely hit sectors.
For the tourism-related industries, these included property tax rebates, reduction in foreign worker levy for unskilled workers, a bridging loan programme for small- and medium-sized enterprises to alleviate short-term cash-flow problems and enhanced training grants.
The transport sector saw targeted measures such as diesel tax rebates for taxis and waivers of taxi operator license fees.
Economists said it remains too early to speculate if the Government will release a relief package of a similar quantum this time round. They also had mixed views if help could come as early as the upcoming Budget in February.
For instance, Mr Biswas thinks the upcoming Budget statement, which will be delivered on Feb 18 by Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, could include measures to assist the vulnerable tourism and travel sectors.
On the other hand, Ms Ling reckoned that it is still early days into the virus outbreak and the Government could take a “wait and watch" approach.
IMPACT ACROSS THE REST OF ASIA
As of Tuesday, the death toll in China has jumped to 106 and the number of total confirmed cases up to 4,515, the country’s authorities said.
Across the world, confirmed cases have also been reported in Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States, heightening fears of the global economic impact of the new deadly virus.
For Asia Pacific, the Wuhan coronavirus poses a “significant downside risk” to region’s economic outlook in the near term, if the epidemic continues to escalate in coming weeks, said Mr Biswas.
“The extent and duration of this negative shock to regional economic growth will depend on how quickly the Wuhan virus epidemic can be brought under control, which remains very uncertain.”
Governments in Asia Pacific are likely to respond with a range of fiscal and monetary policy stimulus measures to prop up growth momentum in the near term. In particular, measures to help the tourism and travel sectors which are particularly vulnerable to this economic shock, he added.
Source: CNA/sk
Thursday 23 January 2020
Johor immigration all set for CNY rush
Johor immigration all set for CNY rush
The Immigration Department is all set to deal with the surge of visitors coming through the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex in Johor this Chinese New Year.
Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the department has taken several proactive measures to avoid congestions at the immigration checkpoints and ensure visitors pass through them smoothly.
“We expect there would be congestions at those checkpoints between Jan 23 and Jan 28 so we have taken several measures including ensuring that all counters are open at both places especially at the bus, motorcycle and car lanes,” he said.
Khairul said in a statement on Wednesday (Jan 22), that there will also be 12 additional counters at the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex making a total of 36 counters available at the complex.
There will also be special counters for pregnant women, senior citizens, and people with disabilities at counters 3 and 4 at the Sultan Iskandar Building while similar counters will be open at the car lanes at Sultan Abu Bakar Complex.
He added steps have been taken to ensure the systems at both entry points are in good working condition and that leave has also been frozen for officers at both entry points, with officers from other units being redeployed to the Sultan Iskandar Building and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex.
“We will also be collaborating and coordinating with other relevant agencies such as the police, the Customs Department and the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services at the entry points,” he said adding that visitors can follow traffic updates at both entry points on the Johor Immigration Department’s social media pages.
He also advised road users to follow traffic rules and reminded visitors from Singapore to ensure they had enough credit balance on their Touch and Go cards as well as encouraged travellers to consider using public transportation.
~The Star~
The Immigration Department is all set to deal with the surge of visitors coming through the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex in Johor this Chinese New Year.
Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the department has taken several proactive measures to avoid congestions at the immigration checkpoints and ensure visitors pass through them smoothly.
“We expect there would be congestions at those checkpoints between Jan 23 and Jan 28 so we have taken several measures including ensuring that all counters are open at both places especially at the bus, motorcycle and car lanes,” he said.
Khairul said in a statement on Wednesday (Jan 22), that there will also be 12 additional counters at the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex making a total of 36 counters available at the complex.
There will also be special counters for pregnant women, senior citizens, and people with disabilities at counters 3 and 4 at the Sultan Iskandar Building while similar counters will be open at the car lanes at Sultan Abu Bakar Complex.
He added steps have been taken to ensure the systems at both entry points are in good working condition and that leave has also been frozen for officers at both entry points, with officers from other units being redeployed to the Sultan Iskandar Building and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex.
“We will also be collaborating and coordinating with other relevant agencies such as the police, the Customs Department and the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services at the entry points,” he said adding that visitors can follow traffic updates at both entry points on the Johor Immigration Department’s social media pages.
He also advised road users to follow traffic rules and reminded visitors from Singapore to ensure they had enough credit balance on their Touch and Go cards as well as encouraged travellers to consider using public transportation.
~The Star~
Tuesday 21 January 2020
Heavy traffic at Woodlands, Tuas checkpoints during CNY
Heavy traffic expected at Woodlands, Tuas checkpoints during Chinese New Year: ICA
The traffic at both land checkpoints at Woodlands and Tuas is expected to be heavy during the Chinese New Year holidays, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Wednesday (Jan 15).
Traffic departing from Singapore is expected to be heavy between Jan 17 and Jan 28, while arrival traffic is set to be heavy between Jan 25 and Jan 28.
With a large number of people passing through the land checkpoints and security checks, there can be delays, ICA explained.
“About 415,000 travellers use the land checkpoints daily and this number increases during the festive peak periods.
“For the Friday before Christmas last year, we cleared 475,000 travellers across the land checkpoints – the highest number we have seen in recent years,” ICA said.
“With security checks coupled with large number of travellers using the checkpoints at the same time, traffic build-up is inevitable and delays can be expected.
“Travellers should factor the additional time needed for immigration clearance into their plans.”
To play their parts and avoid causing delays, ICA advised travellers to “check and ensure that they bring their rightful passports with a remaining validity of six months or more”.
It also reminded people of prohibited items, like “firecrackers, ‘pop-pop’ or controlled items such as ‘bak kwa’, eggs and potted plants”.
“If travellers bring in dutiable or controlled items, they should proactively make declarations to our officers prior to checks,” the authority added.
AVOID QUEUE-CUTTING
Motorists were also warned against queue-cutting during the peak periods and to check on the traffic situation at the checkpoints before starting their journeys.
ICA said it “will continue to take necessary measures to improve clearance efficiency as much as possible without compromising security”.
It added: “Our checkpoint officers will continue to monitor traffic conditions on a real time basis and ensure optimal deployment of resources.
“We will also continue to work with the Traffic Police to ensure road discipline at the critical junctions leading to the land checkpoints.”
~Channel News Asia~
The traffic at both land checkpoints at Woodlands and Tuas is expected to be heavy during the Chinese New Year holidays, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Wednesday (Jan 15).
Traffic departing from Singapore is expected to be heavy between Jan 17 and Jan 28, while arrival traffic is set to be heavy between Jan 25 and Jan 28.
With a large number of people passing through the land checkpoints and security checks, there can be delays, ICA explained.
“About 415,000 travellers use the land checkpoints daily and this number increases during the festive peak periods.
“For the Friday before Christmas last year, we cleared 475,000 travellers across the land checkpoints – the highest number we have seen in recent years,” ICA said.
“With security checks coupled with large number of travellers using the checkpoints at the same time, traffic build-up is inevitable and delays can be expected.
“Travellers should factor the additional time needed for immigration clearance into their plans.”
To play their parts and avoid causing delays, ICA advised travellers to “check and ensure that they bring their rightful passports with a remaining validity of six months or more”.
It also reminded people of prohibited items, like “firecrackers, ‘pop-pop’ or controlled items such as ‘bak kwa’, eggs and potted plants”.
“If travellers bring in dutiable or controlled items, they should proactively make declarations to our officers prior to checks,” the authority added.
AVOID QUEUE-CUTTING
Motorists were also warned against queue-cutting during the peak periods and to check on the traffic situation at the checkpoints before starting their journeys.
ICA said it “will continue to take necessary measures to improve clearance efficiency as much as possible without compromising security”.
It added: “Our checkpoint officers will continue to monitor traffic conditions on a real time basis and ensure optimal deployment of resources.
“We will also continue to work with the Traffic Police to ensure road discipline at the critical junctions leading to the land checkpoints.”
~Channel News Asia~
Friday 3 January 2020
VEP on hold as many S'porean vehicles still without RFID
Vehicle entry permit on hold as many S'porean vehicles still without RFID
The vehicle entry permit (VEP) on all outbound traffic at Johor's Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) continues to be deferred because a high number of Singapore-registered vehicles have yet to install the radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.
Road Transport Department (JPJ) director general Datuk Seri Shaharuddin Khalid said based on their records, more than 230,000 Singapore vehicles have registered for the VEP.
"However, only about 60,000 of them have installed the VEP-RFID, and we are targeting to get the remaining balance within the first six months of the year," he told reporters after officiating the RTD Station, the third in country, at the Pagoh rest and service area (RnR) (south-bound) here along the North-South Expressway.
He said the department had received a positive reaction from Singaporeans to get their VEP-RFID tags to enter the country via the Johor-Singapore Causeway and Second Link.
"Singapore-registered vehicles know the importance of registering for the VEP-RFID tag before coming into Malaysia," he said.
~The Star~
The vehicle entry permit (VEP) on all outbound traffic at Johor's Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) continues to be deferred because a high number of Singapore-registered vehicles have yet to install the radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.
Road Transport Department (JPJ) director general Datuk Seri Shaharuddin Khalid said based on their records, more than 230,000 Singapore vehicles have registered for the VEP.
"However, only about 60,000 of them have installed the VEP-RFID, and we are targeting to get the remaining balance within the first six months of the year," he told reporters after officiating the RTD Station, the third in country, at the Pagoh rest and service area (RnR) (south-bound) here along the North-South Expressway.
He said the department had received a positive reaction from Singaporeans to get their VEP-RFID tags to enter the country via the Johor-Singapore Causeway and Second Link.
"Singapore-registered vehicles know the importance of registering for the VEP-RFID tag before coming into Malaysia," he said.
~The Star~
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