Slowly but steadily, Singapore is seeing the tide turning in our Covid-19 saga, with border restrictions easing. Essential travel to countries like Japan and South Korea have already been opened up.
In keeping with this momentum, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is piloting a travel pass scheme for senior executives in Singapore who need to travel often for business.
These executives won’t need to serve a Stay-Home Notice (SHN) upon returning to Singapore, but may instead choose to take a Covid-19 test and self-isolate until the results are out.
In a press release on Wednesday (23 Sep), MOH stated that the pilot scheme will disburse a new business travel pass for Singapore senior executives who need to travel out of the country regularly for work.
This comes after sustained studies by the Multi-Ministry Taskforce handling the pandemic on how to resume business travel in a safe and controlled manner.
The travel-pass scheme will allow senior executives the option of taking a Covid-19 test instead of serving SHN when they return.
They would then have to self-isolate until the results are out.
Speaking at a Multi-Ministry Taskforce press conference on Wednesday, task force co-chair Lawrence Wong said this pass will allow executives to “travel to quite a wide range of countries”, and will not be limited to any country.
However, he stressed that the travel pass does not override any safety measures or travel restrictions enforced in the country they are visiting.
Travellers on this pass will also have to follow a strict itinerary.
“These restrictions that are in place in the countries that they are visiting, they have to comply,” said Mr Wong, who is also Education Minister.
The number of passes issued will be strictly limited in the initial phase, the statement added.
This is so the authorities can monitor the public health outcomes.
Should the pilot prove successful, MOH will then consider expanding the scope of the scheme.
The introduction of the new travel pass shows that Singapore’s travel routes are gradually but cautiously opening up, which is a positive sign for business travellers and the aviation industry.
For those who’re still stuck on the island, Phase 3 is on the horizon, so hopefully we can get back to living our lives, albeit under a “new normal”.
However, it won’t happen unless we all cooperate to keep the number of Covid-19 cases down, so let’s all play our part.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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