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SINGAPORE: Singapore will tighten COVID-19 border measures for travelers who have traveled to Hong Kong in the 14 days prior to entering Singapore, and all will be required to provide a 14-day stay-at-home notice in dedicated facilities.
The new measure will apply to travelers entering Singapore from 11:59 pm on Sunday (December 13), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a press release on Friday.
Beginning at 11:59 pm on December 18, all travelers entering Singapore with a history of travel in the past 14 days to Hong Kong will also be required to undergo a COVID- polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. 19 within 72 hours before your departure.
They will need to submit a valid negative COVID-19 test as a condition of approval to enter Singapore, the Health Ministry said.
Singaporeans and permanent residents are exempt from the PCR test.
READ: Singapore and Hong Kong to postpone launch of air travel bubble
“The multidisciplinary task force has been closely monitoring the global COVID-19 situation and will tighten border measures due to the deterioration of the outbreak situation in Hong Kong,” the Health Ministry said.
Previously, travelers from Hong Kong were allowed to serve a seven-day stay-at-home notice at their place of residence.
The changes are due to the “increased risk of community spread recently,” the ministry added.
Hong Kong travelers will be able to opt out of the dedicated facilities and deliver the stay-at-home notice at their place of residence.
To do so, they must not have visited any other place in the last 14 days before entering Singapore and must occupy their place of residence alone or with household members with the same travel history and with the same length of notice of stay in the home.
“As the global situation evolves, we will continue to adjust our border measures to manage the risk of importation and transmission to the community,” said the Ministry of Health.
Hong Kong confirmed 86 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, of which 81 were transmitted locally.
Friday’s case count snapped a three-day streak of more than 100 daily COVID-19 cases in the city.
Earlier this month, Singapore and Hong Kong announced the postponement of an air travel bubble amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Chinese city. The travel bubble was originally scheduled to begin on November 22.
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