Singapore has announced new border restrictions in light of the new Covid-19 variant and a resurgence of cases worldwide. The measures include on-arrival testing, compulsory Covid-19 travel insurance, and a three-week quarantine for travellers from the UK and South Africa.
From January 25, all travellers will be required to undergo a PCR test upon arrival in Singapore. The new on-arrival test requirement, which costs S$160 (US$120) and can be pre-booked online, is in addition to the preflight test imposed on travellers from high-risk locations.
Foreign visitors travelling under the Air Travel Pass and Reciprocal Green Lane arrangements will also be subject to compulsory travel insurance beginning February 1. Designated plans, which come with a minimum coverage of S$30,000, will pay for Covid-19 medical treatment and hospitalisation costs if incurred in Singapore.
Additionally, the Lion City said that citizens and permanent residents returning from the UK and South Africa will now be required to undergo seven extra days of home quarantine. This is on top of the two weeks at a designated facility. Foreign travellers from the two countries, including long-term pass holders, are already barred from entry.
Singapore’s new three-week quarantine for UK and South Africa arrivals is among the most stringent in the world and follows Hong Kong’s lead last month.
Earlier, the International Air Transport Association director general Alexandre de Juniac was cited saying a 21-day quarantine requirement will block efforts to recover air traffic as “everybody will be totally deterred from travel”.
