Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia’s national flag carrier Garuda has begun a vaccinated travel lane (VTL) service to Singapore.

Starting on November 29, the carrier will serve six VTL flights per week between Jakarta and Singapore using Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

Under the initiative, fully vaccinated travelers can visit Singapore without having to undergo quarantine upon arrival in the neighboring country, the Jakarta Post reported.

Meanwhile, Malaysia has temporarily banned the entry of travelers from countries that have reported the Omicron COVID-19 variant or are considered high-risk, its health minister said on December 1.

The travel ban applies to eight African countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi.

Malaysia will also delay a plan to set up the so-called Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL) with the affected countries, and reimpose quarantine requirements for Malaysian citizens and long-term residents returning from those nations, regardless of their vaccination status.

Earlier this week, Malaysia and Singapore launched here a two-way joint VTL, reopening their border after nearly two years during the pandemic./.