As Malaysia announced the implementation of a partial lockdown from March 18 to 31 to combat the spread of COVID-19 infections, the flow of goods and cargo between Singapore and Malaysia – including food supplies – will not be affected.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, March 17, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he had spoken to his counterpart Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. "I told him that I understood the reasons why he had made this move, and wished Malaysia success in containing the outbreak," added PM Lee.
"I was happy to hear his reassurance that the flow of goods and cargo between Singapore and Malaysia, including food supplies, would continue."
However, the Movement Control Order will affect Malaysians living in Johor but working in Singapore, who will have to comply with the lockdown. They will not be able to commute across the border daily, at least for the time being.
"We are therefore working out arrangements with our companies to help these Malaysian workers stay in Singapore temporarily, if they would like to do so," PM Lee said.
He added that meanwhile, he is "happy to see that in the supermarkets, while the queues are longer than usual, people are taking it in their stride and only buying what they need."
Local supermarket chain NTUC Fairprice has started limiting the purchases of essential items that one can buy. Posters were placed at the entries of each supermarket, reminding shoppers to "buy only what they need and not stockpile".
Each customer is now limited to four units of paper products, two units of instant noodles/pasta, two bags of rice, SGD 30 worth of vegetable and poultry, as well as 3o eggs.
Reassuring Singaporeans of the country's supply chains, PM Lee said, "We need not worry, as we have prepared for such an eventuality, and have plans in place to cope."
