Travellers heading to Singapore from Hong Kong, Australia’s Victoria state, and Japan will now have to serve their 14-day quarantine period in a dedicated facility instead of their own place of residence starting from today (July 20).
The new measure applies to all travellers who have been in any of those three regions that have seen a spike in coronavirus cases recently in the 14 days prior to them entering Singapore, the city-state’s state authorities said on July 17.
“We have updated our assessment based on the latest situation and given the resurgence of cases in various places, we have decided to change the requirements for travellers with recent travel history, including transit, to the State of Victoria in Australia, Japan and Hong Kong,” said Singapore’s Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong at a press conference.
Previously, travellers from the affected regions were allowed to serve their 14-day isolation period at home instead of a dedicated facility.
“As we have repeatedly emphasised, our border measures are not static; they are not cast in stone. We are constantly reviewing, updating them based on our assessment of the viral situation around the world in different countries,” said Wong.
Since March, all travellers to Singapore have been required to serve a 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN). Travellers from some regions are allowed to complete this quarantine period in their own places of residence, while others have to stay at dedicated government facilities.
As of July 19, travellers who had previously remained in Australia (except Victoria state), Brunei, Macao, mainland China, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam in the last consecutive 14 days prior to their arrival and entry into Singapore, will no longer need to serve their SHN at a designated facility, according to the Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.
