As Singapore continues to step up Covid-19 containment measures, authorities have rolled out further travel regulations on Sunday (15 Mar).
Among them is a compulsory Stay-Home Notice for travellers entering Singapore from 12 countries, and discouragement against non-essential travel.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) revealed these measures in a press release today (15 Mar).
Considering that many of the recent Covid-19 cases originated from foreign countries, tighter control on inbound and outbound travel is necessary.
Though the government isn’t clamping down on flights, those with non-essential travel plans are advised to forego them for now.
MOH cited the statistic that more than 75% of new cases were imported, with 90% of them being residents and workers who returned from overseas.
To prevent such cases from sprouting up even more, discouraging outgoing travels is perhaps the best way to go.
In a bid to monitor potential imported cases, MOH will also be issuing a compulsory Stay-Home Notice (SHN) to travellers entering Singapore from 12 countries.
The 12 include Japan, the United Kingdom (UK), Switzerland and all ASEAN countries, which are as follows:
Those serving the SHN will have to provide MOH with proof of where they will stay over the 14 days, be it in a hotel or someone’s place.
They may also have to undergo Covid-19 swab tests, even if they don’t show any symptoms. Suspect cases will be sent to the hospital immediately.
The measure will take effect from 11.59pm on Monday (16 Mar).
Travellers entering Singapore from Malaysia via land and sea routes will however be excluded from this new rule, according to Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
The same goes to transiting travellers who do not leave the transit area.
From that time too, short-term visitors from any ASEAN country will have to submit a health report to the Singapore Overseas Mission in the countries they’re flying from before their date of travel here.
MOH and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will review the reports before granting them entry.
Those who fail to follow this procedure may not be able to enter Singapore at all.
Considering that it applies to Foreign Domestic Workers (FDW) too, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will follow up on how agencies and employers can facilitate the process.
The stricter measures may inconvenience many who have made travel plans. They are in addition to previous restrictions that are already in place, like travel bans on visitors from virus hotspots.
Rather than complaining, we should applaud the government’s effort to do everything necessary to protect public welfare while maintaining general decorum.
Let’s hope these new travel advisories will prove effective in containing the Covid-19 spread in Singapore.
Featured image adapted from ThousandWonders.
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