The Covid-19 Passport Talks Are A First Step Toward Non-Quarantine Travel, Says S’pore, Singapore News & Top Stories



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SINGAPORE – Discussions on mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccination certification will be the first step in restoring travel without quarantine or stay-at-home notice, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) said.

In response to inquiries from The Straits Times, MOT said on Tuesday (March 30) that it was looking to establish these new travel arrangements with countries and regions that have “successfully controlled the pandemic through surveillance and testing, contact tracing. and social distancing measures “. .

Vaccination offers an additional means of reducing Covid-19 infection rates, a MOT spokesperson said.

He added that these discussions about vaccination certification at the International Civil Aviation Organization, as well as bilaterally, will take some time, as most places have just started vaccinations and are seeking certifications.

“We will provide further updates at the appropriate junctures when significant progress has been made with our partner countries or regions,” the spokesperson said.

On March 15, Australia’s Minister of Tourism announced plans to travel to Singapore to discuss the creation of a digital vaccine passport system.

Meanwhile, China launched its vaccine passport earlier this month, while Germany and the United States are working to develop theirs soon.

On Monday, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said Singapore was studying a proposal from Hong Kong to reopen the borders safely.

This follows his announcement on March 12 that bilateral travel corridors for vaccinated passengers from places with low to moderate infection rates may occur in the second half of this year.

While vaccines are changing the game, this should work in conjunction with other measures such as testing, movement restrictions and identifying countries that are “safe” and have successfully controlled the virus, Ong said in an interview with Money FM 89.3.



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