Singapore: Officials tighten curbs for arrivals from Hong Kong from Dec. 14, eases rules for travelers from Taiwan from Dec. 18 /update 27

Event

Singaporean authorities will require arrivals from Hong Kong to serve stay-at-home notices (SHN) for 14 days from 2359 Dec. 13 due to increased coronavirus disease (COVID-19) activity in the territory. Officials also require travelers from Hong Kong, except for Singaporean citizens and permanent residents, to test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours before the trips, starting 2359 Dec. 18. The travelers may opt to serve their SHN at their residence if they have spent the previous two weeks in Hong Kong or other locations deemed to be low-risk and are occupying the residence either alone or with other people with the same travel history. Other low-risk places include Australia, Brunei, mainland China, Fiji, Macau, New Zealand, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Authorities have earlier postponed a planned reciprocal travel scheme for all purposes with Hong Kong through at least January 2021.

Additionally, officials will allow entry for all travelers from Taiwan from Dec. 18 due to low COVID-19 activity in the location. The same policy is in place for arrivals from Australia, Brunei, mainland China, New Zealand, and Vietnam. The passengers must have remained in the mentioned locations for the last 14 days before entry, register online on the Safe Travel portal at least one week before entry, and self-isolate until results of an on-arrival test are ready. Travelers who test negative are exempt from the typical compulsory SHN requirement for arrivals, though they must still use the TraceTogether application for contact tracing purposes.

Some domestic controls continue. Employees can work on-site for up to half of their working hours daily; a maximum of 50 percent of staff may be present at the workplace at a given time. Other rules, such as spacing work stations one meter apart from each other, remain in place. Authorities encourage companies to stagger working hours. Essential services, including medical and food retailers, can continue operating on-site with full staff capacity. The government allows a maximum of 100 people at weddings and religious events at most places of worship, with safeguards such as dividing the attendees into multiple zones of 50 people each.

The government maintains its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) at Orange, the second-highest level, indicating some human-to-human transmission in the country. Authorities continue to require people to practice health protocols, including wearing facemasks in public. Most social gatherings remain capped at five people. Schools, retail stores, shopping centers, and select tourist sites are open with safeguards in place, while food establishments can serve dine-in customers. Officials have lifted entry restrictions to several popular wet markets. Foreign workers staying in dormitories must download the TraceTogether application and FWMOMCare health monitoring application.

The Johor Causeway, which links Singapore to Malaysia, is open 0700-1900 daily. State carrier Singapore Airlines (SQ) and its subsidiaries, Scoot (TR) and SilkAir (MI), continue to suspend most flights but plan to resume operations to several locations gradually. Singapore-based airline JetStar Asia Airways (3K) has resumed some routes. Foreigners flying with SQ, TR, and MI from select cities can transit via Singapore Changi Airport (SIN).

Travel Restrictions
Officials continue to ban the entry of short-term visa holders, including work pass holders who do not provide essential services, with exceptions. Long-term visit pass and student pass holders must apply for official approval before traveling to Singapore. Incoming passengers must submit online health declarations up to three days before arrival. Foreign nationals traveling from most locations must test negative for COVID-19 not more than 72 hours before the trip. While foreigners traveling from locations that officials consider to be lower-risk do not need to take tests in advance, officials require these passengers to undergo tests upon arrival in Singapore.

Arrivals from most locations must serve their SHN for 14 days at government-designated premises. Travelers who spent the previous two weeks in mainland China, Macau, and Taiwan can serve a seven-day SHN in their residences. Travelers must test negative for COVID-19 at the end of their SHN before they can leave the SHN facilities. Arrivals from Fiji, Finland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Turkey can serve SHN at their residence for two weeks if they fulfill specific requirements. The travelers must have spent the previous 14 days in the aforementioned locations and must serve their SHN at the accommodation alone or with other travelers with the same travel history.

Arrangements for cross-border business and official travels are in place with Brunei, Germany, Indonesia, and South Korea, as well as Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces and Chongqing, Shanghai, and Tianjin municipalities in mainland China. Travelers entering Singapore under the programs must have a sponsoring Singaporean government agency or company, seek prior approval from Singaporean authorities, and test negative for COVID-19 within 48-72 hours before departure. Travelers must undergo another COVID-19 test upon arrival, remain at their accommodation until the test returns negative, and adhere to controlled itineraries for the first 14 days of their visit.

Context

COVID-19 is a viral respiratory disease caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV). Symptoms occur 1-14 days following exposure (average of 3-7 days). These symptoms include fever, fatigue, cough, difficulty breathing, sometimes worsening to pneumonia and kidney failure - especially in those with underlying medical conditions. On March 11, the WHO declared the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.

Advice

Consider postponing travel if affected by travel restrictions. Confirm flight status before checking out of accommodation and departing for the airport. Follow all official instructions. Abide by national health and safety measures. Reconfirm all travel arrangements. Consider delaying traveling if experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, as they may prompt increased scrutiny and delays. Liaise with trusted contacts for further updates and guidance. Maintain contact with your diplomatic representation. Ensure contingency plans account for further disruptive measures or extensions of current restrictions. Reconsider and reconfirm nonemergency health appointments. Plan for queues and delays at available shopping centers.

Emphasize basic health precautions, especially frequent handwashing with soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are unavailable. Practice good coughing/sneezing etiquette (i.e., covering coughs and sneezes with a disposable tissue, maintaining distance from others, and washing hands). There is no evidence that the influenza vaccine, antibiotics, or antiviral medications will prevent this disease, highlighting the importance of diligent basic health precautions.

Resources

Ministry of Health Singapore
TraceTogether Mobile Application
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority
Safe Travel Portal