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Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2021
agencies on items such as rice, sugar and other
essentials including hand sanitisers and surgical
face masks. They also ensure that stocks of rice
and sugar are suf cient for the population’s daily
consumption.
Following bilateral negotiations between the Postal
Services Department (PSD) and theMalaysian Post,
the PSD was authorised to be the representative
for parcel collection at Miri and Limbang posts for
recipients based in the Sultanate.
Bruneians had also been united in providing
assistance. The COVID-19 Relief Fund was set up
to enable the public to make nancial contribution
in the ght against coronavirus.
Following closure of schools during the pandemic,
schools conducted online learning and teaching,
while home learning packages were provided for
students without access to the Internet.
Religious and spiritual initiatives were also
carried out. A total of 15,000 COVID-19 zikir and
prayer books were distributed to government and
private sectors in the country, while a softcopy of
the book in PDF format is accessible by scanning
the QR code or through the Ministry of Religious
Affairs website.
In providing alternative service delivery, drive-
thru initiatives were introduced for service
pension payments and descendents’ pension to
reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection and prevent
congestion and overcrowding. Starting April
2020, recipients of the old age pension scheme
received their monthly allowance through banks
as an additional option instead of through the
penghulu or village heads.
The government has also introduced a de-escalation
plan for the reduction of social distancingmeasures,
implemented in phases and in accordance to
operational readiness levels, starting from Level 0
(closure) up to Level 5 (new normal).
EffectiveMarch 8, 2021, the Level 5 implementation
applies to activities at mosques, surau and
religious halls and other places of worship,
schools, technical and vocational schools, higher
educational institutions, tuition schools and music
schools, driving schools, special needs classes,
childcare centres, activity centres for the elderly,
museums, galleries, libraries, gyms and tness
centres, sports facilities (indoor and outdoor), golf
courses, swimming pools, restaurants, cafés and
food courts, cinemas, arcades and playgrounds,
Internet cafés, stalls and markets. The number of
participants at a mass gathering has also been
increased from 350 to 1,000 individuals.
With regards to travel, a notable development
was the mutual agreement between Brunei and
Singapore to allow essential travel between
citizens and residents from both countries starting
September 1, 2020, with the establishment of
the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) facilities at both
sides. Applications require that travellers observe
some restrictions, including controlled itineraries,
a negative COVID-19 test prior to the trip and a
swab test on arrival at their destination.
In March 2021, the MoH released its vaccination
strategy. The vaccination programme will be
launched in phases. Phase One is for frontliners,
senior citizens aged 60 and above, and students
who will be studying overseas. Phase Two is
for staff at childcare centres, adults with co-
morbidities and teachers, while Phase Three is
for the general public aged 18 and above.
Brunei citizens and residents, including foreign
nationals with a valid IC, will receive the
vaccination for free. More details are available
on the MoH website.