April 1, 2022: Borders Reopened

The causeway, which links Johor Baru with Woodlands in neighbouring Singapore, was where hundreds of people were poised to cross at the stroke of midnight when the border between the two nations reopened to welcome fully vaccinated people on April 1, 2022.

 

The crowd walking across the causeway 
towards Johor Baru on April 1, 2022 

Due the global pandemic, the nationwide lockdown under the first Movement Control Order (MCO) started two years ago on March 18, 2020.

 

I am sure many would remember March 17, 2020 when the causeway was the busiest as people made the decision to head into Singapore before the border closed at midnight.

 

It was an exodus of people who crossed the causeway on foot with their luggage, some with families in tow, who aimed to make it through the checkpoint before midnight.

 

The uncertainties in the early part of the pandemic probably shocked everyone into obedience and as the community strictly complied with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), daily infections were successfully reduced.

 

View of the Johor Baru checkpoint from the
causeway in the pre-pandemic era

At first, we naively thought that the lockdown period was just for two weeks.

 

But the lockdown periods were extended to a further two weeks until it steadily stretched into months and months, with various changes in the Conditions and by then, it was already the year-end of 2020.

 

The effects of the lockdown were evident in our silent city streets as people stayed home to stay safe and schools, offices and businesses remained closed.

 

At that time, travel was limited to within a 10km radius so grocery shopping was to the most convenient destinations and always I went early to avoid other shoppers.

 

Participants on board the R&F 
Princess Cove yacht in the
Miss You My Love event

It was both stressful and scary to go out even for a short trip because the virus was an unseen enemy and with reports of asymptomatic people, any one may be virus carriers.

 

October 24, 2020 was a special date for some 20 people who represented 10 families in Johor who responded to an event dubbed, Miss You My Love, organized by R&F Princess Cove.

 

They took their turns to board the R&F Princess Cove yacht and cruised to the boundary of the Johor Straits, the closest possible position to “meet” with their family members who were stranded in Singapore.

 

They had arranged with their loved ones who could not come home for the past seven months, to position themselves on the Singapore coast and look out for the yacht with them on board.

 

It was an emotional meet-up for these people who waved and shouted, while some held up large placards with messages of love and hope. While the contact was brief, it was reassuring for these families to see each other in person, even from a distance.

 

By the end of the first 12 months of the border closure with Singapore, the absence of vehicular traffic in the city – particularly those bearing Singapore registration plates – were sorely missed.

 

Johoreans are familiar with Singaporean visitors who cross the causeway – some on a daily or weekly basis – for grocery shopping, car-grooming, hair and spa treatments, entertainment and of course, food and fun.

 

But a glance at the empty causeway reminded us about the families who were separated due to the border closures and the enterprises that were suffering from the lack of business.

 

In January 2021, MCO 2.0 was implemented. The conditions however, allowed the commercial sector to open for business and the public were able to go about – wearing face masks – and required to comply with all the SOPs.

 

But as the number of infections in our nation surged higher and the healthcare services were being stretched, MCO 3.0 kicked in from May 12.

 

Meanwhile, the Johor Baru city centre was eerily quiet and remained virtually deserted, especially in the mornings. As commercial activity was almost at a standstill, the air seemed cleaner and the skies even looked bluer.

 

Fast-forward to 2022, in the days preceding March 31 when Malaysians stranded in Singapore made plans to return to Johor when the border reopened at midnight.

 

View of the causeway with the crowd crossing into Malaysia while
cars were parked and patiently waiting on the side roads in Johor Baru

These nations had been through an unprecedented and unforgettable time in history where everyone had been affected in one way or another, some more than others.

 

With a deluge of information shared online for the Things-To-Do to prepare for the border crossing, some opted to wait-and-see while others were simply raring to go.

 

Hours ahead of midnight on March 31, the crowd trickled in and continued to swell at the checkpoint on the Singapore side.

 

Meanwhile, on the Malaysia side of the causeway, the media joined the teams of security staff in anticipation of the first entries into Johor at the stroke of midnight.

 

Once again, the use of modern technology helped to capture numerous photographs and videos that vividly portrayed the emotion and exhilaration of the much-anticipated return and reunion with loved ones.

 

Those arriving on cars and motorcycles, honked, cheered and waved, while some of those arriving on foot broke into song, singing the National Anthem – Negara Ku – as they neared the Johor side of the causeway.

 

Some videos captured the scenes where the arriving crowd could no longer hold back their eagerness but decided to run the final stretch to exit into the city after clearing Customs and Immigration in the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, Johor Baru checkpoint.

 

My friend, Yoshiko Tsuchiya, shared two photographs captured at 12.02am that showed the excited crowd, walking across the causeway towards Johor Baru.

 

Entrance to the quaint old 
traditional bakery in the
Johor Baru Heritage Quarter

It was deeply moving because the aerial view in one of the shots also showed the side streets close to the causeway in Johor Baru that were lined with cars, parked and patiently waiting for the arrival of their loved ones from across the causeway.

 

Among the news posted online were reports of a father holding their son for the very first time since the child was born, and day-trippers visiting the Johor Baru Heritage Quarter again to buy their favourite banana cake and coconut buns from traditional baker, Hiap Joo Bakery & Biscuit Factory,* a taste that they so missed.

 

As of 5pm on the first day of the border reopening on April 1, more than 33,700 people have crossed the Singapore-Malaysia border through both the land checkpoints via the causeway and the Second Link.

 

Welcome Home, Malaysians. Selamat Datang and Welcome Back all visitors!

. . .

 

Photo Credit to Yoshiko Tsuchiya for photographs of causeway captured at 12.02am on April 1, 2022.

 

*The story on the family who runs Hiap Joo Bakery & Biscuit Factory is documented in My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People. My books are available from MPH bookstores nationwide and online from mphonline.com