A worker sprays antiseptic fluid on passengers' luggage before they board the bus heading for Johor, Malaysia, via the land Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) at Singapore's Queen Street bus terminal on Nov. 29, 2021. The land VTL between Singapore and Malaysia began on Monday. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua)

Travel across the bridge connecting Malaysia and Singapore as well as an air corridor opened on Monday after disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bridge link, or causeway, was one of the busiest crossing points in the world with hundreds of thousands from both countries crossing the link daily before the pandemic.

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is on an official visit to Singapore, stopped by the causeway as part of a ceremony to mark its reopening under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL).

"As close, immediate neighbors, the deep relation between Malaysia and Singapore is of immense importance to both sides. More active multilevel engagements and much stronger cooperation is certainly the way forward for our two countries," he told a joint press conference with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

"This is crucial also for our contact of cooperation in undertaking effective and meaningful recovery efforts, so that our countries will come stronger following the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

Ismail Sabri said talks are underway to increase the number of crossing points, including from the second bridge link, and to allow private vehicles to make the trip.

Currently travelers may only take special busses to make the land crossing while air travelers are confined to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Singapore's Changi Airport.

Travel under the VTL will see quarantine requirements waived for fully vaccinated individuals, with other standard operating procedures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

Passengers from Singapore arrive at a bus station following the reopening of the bridge link under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Nov. 29, 2021. Travel across the bridge connecting Malaysia and Singapore as well as an air corridor opened on Monday after disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bridge link, or causeway, was one of the busiest crossing points in the world with hundreds of thousands from both countries crossing the link daily before the pandemic. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)