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A male passenger travelling from Malaysia to Singapore via the land-based Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in the city-state on Nov. 30, Shin Min Daily News reported.

News of the incident stemmed from a Chinese newspaper reader's anonymous tip-off.

According to the tip-off, the incident was witnessed after the reader took the bus from Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal in Johor Bahru, Malaysia to Singapore.

Sudden commotion at waiting area

The news provider claimed that she took the 6:45pm bus operated by Handal Indah, also known as Causeway Link, and reached Singapore at about 8:15pm, Shin Min reported.

The woman traveller said there were seven people on the bus, which was designated to ferry the passengers to Queen Street Bus Terminal.

Everything appeared normal, but there was a sudden commotion when the travellers were waiting for their Covid-19 test results at the waiting area upon arriving in Singapore, the traveller who provided the tip-off said.

"Everyone there was wondering what was going on when the workers suddenly panicked and yelled at the medical personnel," she added.

Subsequently, a male traveller in a white t-shirt was told to isolate himself from the rest.

Man looked bewildered

The woman who provided the tip-off claimed that she was told by the medical personnel that the male traveller had tested positive for Covid-19, Shin Min reported.

She added that he looked bewildered when he was sitting there alone: "The medical personnel did not approach the guy, but told him to leave the waiting area and to isolate himself from the rest of the bus passengers."

The witness also said the other passengers who took a different bus were able to leave the waiting area.

According to Shin Min, the male passenger is believed to have been travelling alone and did not mingle with other passengers on board.

Malaysia detected Covid-19 case on first day of VTL

On the first day that the VTL was launched, Malaysian Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said there was a Covid-19 positive case detected among travellers from Singapore who had entered Malaysia.

As a precaution, travellers who are entering Singapore via the land-based VTL will have to do pre-departure testing and produce a negative test result upon arrival.

In view of the new Omicron Covid-19 variant, land-based VTL travellers must take a second antigen rapid test (ART) upon arriving in Singapore as well.

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Top image via Shin Min Daily News & Mothership