Those With HK Travel History Must Take Covid-19 Test Before Entering S’pore, S’poreans & PRs Exempted
Singapore’s Covid-19 relationship with Hong Kong is complicated.
From an initial engagement and almost-marriage via the Síngapore-HK travel bubble, we’ve had the travel bubble unceremoniously called off, then indefinitely postponed.
Now, instead of welcoming HK visitors with open arms, we’re back to treating them like arrivals from most other countries.
They’ll have to serve a 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN), and must even serve it at dedicated facilities.
Compulsory SHN for HK travellers to take effect from 13 Dec
In a media release on Friday (11 Dec) night, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said arrivals in Singapore who were in HK in the past 14 days would have to serve the SHN.
This will come into effect on Sunday (13 Dec), at 11.59pm — that means such travellers arriving from Monday (14 Dec) will be affected.
Currently, travellers from HK are allowed to serve a 7-day SHN, and at their residence.
Like before, they will also be tested for Covid-19 near the end of the SHN.
Opt out of dedicated facilities
However, the HK arrivals are allowed to opt out of serving SHN at dedicated facilities, along with those from Fiji, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
They cab serve SHN at their place of residence only if they fulfil certain criteria:
- In the last 14 days before entering Singapore, they’ve travelled to no other countries or territories except the above.
- They live alone in their residence, or with household members with the same travel history who are also serving SHN of the same duration.
Arrivals from HK must test Covid-19 test before departure
Another rule for travellers from HK that’s stricter now is the requirement to take a Covid-19 test 72 hours before departure.
The test must be a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The traveller must of course test negative, and show proof of this negative test in order to enter Singapore.
This requirement will take effect from 18 Dec, 11.59pm, and will be required from travellers who have HK travel history in the past 14 days.
However, Singaporeans and permanent residents returning from HK will not have to do this.
HK seeing 4th wave of Covid-19
These stricter measures come as the Chinese city is seeing a 4th wave of Covid-19 infections.
On Friday (11 Dec), HK reported 86 new cases of the virus, with 37 unlinked, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
However, in the 3 days before that, daily cases exceeded 100.
The city had already tightened safe distancing measures from 16 Nov.
On Thursday (10 Dec), the measures become tighter still, with gyms and beauty parlours in HK closed and restaurants stopped offering dine-in services at night.
Hopefully HK can control pandemic
It’s depressing that the Covid-19 cases in HK surged just as we were about to start the travel bubble.
While for us, it just means that we’ve to stay put in Singapore during the Dec holidays, for our friends in HK life is far worse.
Let’s hope that the city can control the pandemic as it has done so previously, so the relevant authorities can feel safe opening borders between cities again.
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