Singapore: Officials to ease some COVID-19 gathering and capacity restrictions from June 14 /update 44

Event

Officials will ease some gathering and capacity restrictions from June 14 amid lower local COVID-19 activity. The gathering limit will be increased from two to five. Museums and public libraries will be able to operate at half their capacity. Live performance, sporting, and religious events will be able to involve up to 250 attendees with pre-event testing or a maximum of 50 without pre-event testing. Workers must continue to telecommute as much as possible. Staff who are on-site must adhere to protocols, like staggering their working hours and avoiding social gatherings at their workplace; essential services can continue to operate on-site with full staffing. Officials say authorities may further ease curbs, including allowing dining in at food establishments to resume, from June 21 if COVID-19 cases remain low in the coming days.

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. In addition, 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 from 07:00-19:00 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 from select cities with several airlines, including SQ, TR, and MI, can transit via Singapore Changi Airport (SIN).

Travel Restrictions
Returning citizens, permanent residents (PRs), and other authorized arrivals must obtain a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result within 72 hours before departure to Singapore. Officials may deny entry for returning citizens and PRs who arrive in Singapore without a negative PCR test result. Exceptions are in place for travelers who have been in a lower-risk location for 21 consecutive days before the trip; lower-risk locations include Brunei, most of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, New Zealand, and most of Australia. Citizens and PRs who test positive while overseas may still return to Singapore on a medevac flight.

Most short-term visa holders, including work pass holders who do not provide essential services, remain banned from entering Singapore. Long-term visit pass and student pass holders must apply for official approval before traveling. Passengers must submit online health declarations up to three days before arrival. Foreign nationals traveling from most locations must test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours before departure, undergo PCR tests upon arrival, and serve stay-home notices for 21 days at dedicated facilities. Individuals arriving from Fiji and Taiwan can undergo 21-day quarantines at dedicated facilities, with the option of serving the last seven days at their residence. Arrivals who have been in most of Australia, Brunei, most of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, or New Zealand for 21 continuous days before entering Singapore can quarantine for seven days in their residences. People applying to enter Singapore under the Air Travel Pass (ATP) and Reciprocal Green Lanes (RGL) schemes must have a minimum of SGD 30,000 travel insurance for medical treatment costs should they test positive for COVID-19 in Singapore. Officials are not processing ATP applications for individuals with recent travel history within the past 21 days to Victoria, Australia, as of June 10.

Short-term visa holders who have been in China's Guangdong Province within the previous 21 days are barred from entering Singapore. Singaporean citizens, residents, and holders of long-term passes with recent travel history in Guangdong will be required to undergo immediate COVID-19 testing upon arrival in Singapore, followed by an additional round of testing before the end of their seven-day stay-at-home notices. In addition, long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with travel history to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka within the previous 14 days are barred from entering Singapore.

RGL schemes with Brunei, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Vietnam remain suspended indefinitely. The programs allow people to travel to and from Singapore for business and official reasons. People who have obtained approval to travel to Singapore under the programs can continue to do so. A similar scheme is currently in place with Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces and Chongqing, Shanghai, and Tianjin municipalities in mainland China. Travelers entering Singapore under the programs must have a sponsoring Singaporean entity, seek prior approval from Singaporean authorities, and test negative for COVID-19 between 48 and 72 hours before departure. Travelers must test for COVID-19 upon arrival, remain at their accommodations until the test returns negative, and adhere to controlled itineraries for the first 14 days of their visit.

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.

Resources

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