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SINGAPORE – Singapore is keen to reopen its borders further, but this must be done safely due to varying levels of infection and risk in the region and around the world, the Education Minister said on Tuesday (November 10), Lawrence Wong.
Describing the country’s overall approach to the matter, he said: “Our overall stance towards opening our borders is one in which, in principle, we are prepared to consider further opening, but it must be done safely and with safeguards. adequate “.
So, if the country Singapore is in talks with about reopening travel has a Covid-19 infection incidence rate similar to Singapore, allowing its travelers to test rather than have to deliver A stay-at-home notice (SHN) or an abbreviated SHN of about seven days at your residence may be considered.
However, if the country has a higher infection rate and its travelers are assessed to be at higher risk, the full 14-day SHN should be applied, the minister added.
“Most of them will be in dedicated facilities and hotels, but in some cases, based on the risk assessment, we could allow them to stay at home, but subject to an electronic monitoring device,” he said.
Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force tackling the coronavirus, was responding to questions from reporters about the reopening of Singapore’s borders, including travelers from jurisdictions such as Southeast Asian countries, Taiwan and Macau.
At Tuesday’s press conference, the task force announced that all incoming travelers from high-risk locations who are not Singapore citizens or permanent residents will be required to take a Covid-19 72 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. hours before your departure.
Wong said that whether the locations are low-risk or high-risk they will adjust from time to time.
When asked about Indonesia’s plan to propose a regional travel corridor when ASEAN leaders meet virtually at their Vietnam-chaired biannual summit this week, and whether Singapore will support it, Wong noted that not many details have been presented. to consider specifically.
But he said the same principles as the working group outlined will apply.
“Within the region, countries have different incidence rates, different prevalence rates. You cannot apply a single measure to all countries in the region,” he said. “We will continue to analyze it country by country and apply these same principles to individual countries.”
He was also asked why travelers from Macau and Taiwan, who have reported zero cases in the community for some time, still have a seven-day SHN to attend to when arriving in Singapore.
Currently, only travelers from Brunei, New Zealand, Vietnam, Australia, and mainland China are not required to serve an SHN when arriving in Singapore. Instead, they only need to test for Covid-19 upon landing here.
Mr. Wong said the requirements are “where they are now” and can be adjusted later if Macau and Taiwan continue to be low risk. The situation is changing day by day and Singapore is closely following developments, he added.
“Risk assessments are dynamic and will constantly evolve. From time to time, adjustments will be made as to where these different countries or places are clustered,” he said.
Mr. Wong added that Singapore is interested in discussing air travel bubbles with places that have a Covid-19 incidence similar to Singapore or that are safe and low-risk.
Singapore has a travel bubble deal with Hong Kong that is expected to be activated later this month.
Whether more such arrangements can be made will depend on whether the two jurisdictions can reach an agreement, he said.
“We don’t have travel bubbles with all the places that are lower risk because that requires bilateral negotiations and agreements between both parties. We continue to discuss these possibilities.”
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