SINGAPORE, 16 June 2020:
Singapore will put in place a testing regime for all incoming travellers entering Singapore from June 18, before the end of their 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN).
Since March 21, all incoming travellers – including Singaporeans, permanent residents and Long Term Pass (LTP) holders – have been required to serve the SHN.
The new requirement is an additional precautionary measure to detect the virus, especially given the risks of asymptomatic cases.
“As we are reopening our economy and society, we expect more travellers coming back to Singapore,” said the republic’s National Development Minister Lawrence Wong at a virtual press conference yesterday.
Wong, who is also the co-chair of the Multi-Ministry Taskforce on Covid-19, highlighted the republic is currently in the midst of establishing green lanes with several countries and have established one with China.
Apart from the testing regime, Singapore is also updating its existing requirement for all incoming travellers to stay at dedicated SHN facilities.
From June 18, travellers who had remained in Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, China, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam in the last consecutive 14 days, will no longer have to serve their SHN at dedicated facilities.
“It is only for this group, if they are coming back from these specific areas, then the SHN can be served at a place of residence rather than a dedicated facility.
“The risk of importation from abroad varies from country to country because countries and regions are at various stages of putting in place effective systems to control the infection. So we will also adjust our border measures to take into account these differences in risk.”
From Thursday, all inbound and outbound travellers will also be required to pay for their Covid-19 tests while incoming travellers who are not Singaporeans or permanent residents will be required to pay for their stay at dedicated SHN facilities.
“Up to now, the cost of tests and the cost of SHN facilities have been borne by the (Singapore) government. But looking ahead as we reopen for more travel, we will want to move to a more sustainable position.”
With the arrangements in place, Wong expects the republic to have the ability to allow more Long-Term Pass Holders overseas to return to Singapore.
For now, Singapore is not allowing short-term visitors yet, except those coming in under the green or fast lane arrangements, or with special prior approval.
Singapore has decided to start Phase Two of reopening from June 19 as community infection rates have remained generally stable despite the increase in workplace activities in Phase One.
The decision to end the Phase One which started on June 2 also took into consideration the incidence of cases among migrant worker dormitories has also declined, and there are no new large clusters emerging.
“In Phase One, the default settings were that many things remained closed and we only selectively allowed certain things to resume activities in order to manage the risk. Phase Two is different.
“The default will be most activities will resume and open. Only a small exception will be left to be done later.”
Apart from a small list of exceptions, Phase Two will see the resumption of most activities while maintaining safe distancing principles that include allowing small-group social gatherings of up to five persons.
In Phase Two, retail businesses may reopen their physical outlets and food and beverage (F&B) dine-in will also be allowed to resume.
However, live music and television and video screenings will not be allowed in all F&B outlets at that stage while sports, parks and other public facilities will be allowed to open.
While the vast majority of activities can resume at the start of Phase Two, the resumption of a small number of activities will take more time.
Such activities include religious services and congregations; large cultural venues such as libraries and museums; and large-scale events and venues such as conferences, exhibitions, concerts and trade fairs.
There is no greenlight as yet for entertainment venues such as bars, nightclubs, karaoke outlets, cinemas, theatres; and indoor and outdoor attractions
Apart from the safe management principles, specific rules will apply to events and settings such as weddings, wakes and funerals, workplaces, as well as schools and Institutes of Higher Learning.
For instance, added flexibility will be given for weddings where solemnizations at home and at Registry of Marriages (ROM) or Registry of Muslim Marriages may take place with up to 10 persons, excluding the solemnizer.
At other venues, they may take place with up to 20 persons, excluding the solemnizer, subject to the venue’s capacity limit based on safe management principles.
– Bernama