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SINGAPORE: While Singapore has relaxed restrictions for travelers arriving from some countries and territories with low rates of COVID-19 infection, only Hong Kong is implementing reciprocal agreements so far.
Since Friday (November 6), Singapore has accepted visitors from mainland China without the need for stay-at-home notices.
This means that general travelers from five countries can now enter Singapore: mainland China, Australia, Brunei, New Zealand and Vietnam. Authorities here have said the risk of importing COVID-19 cases from these locations is low.
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However, Hong Kong is so far the only destination that is opening up to Singapore travelers with the establishment of a travel bubble, possibly by the end of the month.
With many people in Singapore eager to venture abroad for a vacation, questions have been raised about what is preventing China, Australia, Brunei, New Zealand and Vietnam from making similar deals.
Professor Dale Fisher, an infectious disease expert at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, said Singapore now has masks and systems to stop transmission, and has very few COVID-19 cases each week. .
“We see the economic and social impact of closed borders as something that is important and can be safely addressed without compromising health,” he said.
This is not the case in other countries, even those with low infection rates.
“It appears that other countries (some with zero cases and possible eradication) fear their current ability to handle an imported case and are very risk averse,” Professor Fisher said in emailed responses to CNA inquiries.
“At this stage, I think they fear uncontrolled transmission will occur should a single case appear. We believe the very small risk justifies the huge benefits of loosening border restrictions with very low-risk countries.”
He thinks that other countries will have to loosen their borders eventually to mitigate the economic and social impacts of strict border restrictions.
Associate Professor Alex Cook, vice dean for research at NUS ‘Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that the countries that Singapore has opened to are mostly large and that the impact of Singaporean travelers on their economies is probably relatively small in absolute terms, so it won’t be a priority for them to open up to visitors from here.
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He said the risk in Singapore is now probably much lower than it appears.
“The headline figure (total number of infections) is high due to outbreaks in bedrooms, but recreational travelers have a much lower risk of contracting the infection than residents of bedrooms,” he said.
“Also, we are still seeing infections today, but they are mostly now found in travelers to Singapore and therefore do not reflect community transmission. These imported cases still show up in our national figures.”
TRAVELERS TO SINGAPORE
On Friday, Singapore welcomed 22 visitors from mainland China following the lifting of border restrictions on short-term visitors to the country, the Singapore Civil Aviation Authority said on Saturday.
When these travelers enter Singapore, they are required to take a COVID-19 test and can conduct their activities here without having to provide a stay-at-home notice if the test is negative.
They must apply for a Singapore Air Travel Pass (ATP) and must also have stayed in the country they flew from in the last 14 days to qualify.
Visitors must download and register for the TraceTogether app on their mobile devices prior to departing for Singapore, keep it activated during their stay here, and not delete it for 14 consecutive days after leaving Singapore.
Since September 1, when ATP applications were opened, 2,613 applicants have been issued from Australia, Brunei, mainland China, New Zealand and Vietnam.
Of these, 811 passengers had entered Singapore as of Nov. 6: 106 from Australia, 232 from Brunei, 22 from mainland China, 115 from New Zealand and 336 from Vietnam.
Another 1,465 passengers have not yet traveled and 337 ATPs have expired. All visitors to Singapore tested negative for COVID-19.
Embassies and authorities from mainland China, New Zealand and Australia confirmed to CNA that their border restrictions, including quarantine for foreign visitors, remain in effect. The authorities of Vietnam and Brunei did not respond to inquiries.
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“New Zealand border restrictions remain in place for most travelers, apart from citizens and residents of New Zealand and people who have been granted an exception to travel to New Zealand,” said a New Zealand Immigration spokesperson. Zeeland.
“This is to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of the New Zealand population.”
He added that New Zealand is in regular contact with Singapore as a close partner in both countries’ COVID situations and responses, but Singapore travelers must still receive a border exception before they can travel to New Zealand.
New Zealand and Brunei were the first two countries in which Singapore lifted border controls in August.
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A spokesman for the Australian Border Force said that any decision on opening the Australian border will be made and announced by his government in due course.
An attache from the Chinese embassy in Singapore said that “China’s entry policy is decided in light of the regional and global COVID-19 situation.”
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