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SINGAPORE: As of the second half of January 2021, short-term business travelers from all countries arriving in Singapore will no longer need to be quarantined, under the new separate travel lane arrangements.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Tuesday (December 15) that those who choose to use the lane will be transported from the airport to dedicated facilities where they will stay and work.
There, they can have meetings through airtight floor-to-ceiling glass panels with local entrepreneurs, as well as other foreign entrepreneurs with safe distancing measures.
Periodic tests will be carried out throughout your stay, for example, on alternate days, in addition to the tests before you leave your home countries and upon arrival here.
They will also have to move within their pre-declared travel group of up to five people to reduce the risk of mass transmission.
The segregated travel lane is different from existing reciprocal green lane agreements, which apply only to select countries, but allow those with essential businesses here to move around Singapore with greater freedom.
The segregated travel lane restricts movement, but allows entry to business, official and high-value travelers from all countries, as long as their stay is 14 days or less.
The lane is expected to increase traffic at Changi Airport, where about 15 percent of pre-Covid-19 travelers entered the country for commercial reasons.
It should also have knock-on effects in the hospitality sector, which could supply food and provide accommodation to travelers once approval is given.
Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, on a tour of Connect @ Changi, one of the facilities that will be used to house travelers in the segregated travel lane, said the new measures will make Singapore more relevant as business center amid the unpredictability of COVID-19.
“Global business travel has been severely affected by the need for quarantine measures … Different countries will continue to have different risk profiles and we must not allow this to hamper business meetings,” he said.
“Dedicated facilities can allow Singaporeans to meet (business) travelers from elsewhere. They can also allow (business) travelers from elsewhere to get to know each other.”
By patterns set last year, about nine out of 10 of business travelers to Singapore stayed in the country for five days or less, indicating the demand for such targeted and expedited travel arrangements.
A large portion of these travelers are currently not covered by reciprocal green lane agreements and must undergo quarantine before they can meet face-to-face with their local partners.
Temasek Senior Managing Director Alan Thompson, who was among those leading the Connect @ Changi project, said local employees of multinational companies may not have had the opportunity to meet with their regional bosses in person for more than a year. year.
Facilities like Connect @ Changi, which will host its first guests in February next year, provide entrepreneurs with that opportunity and minimize physical contact.
Connect @ Changi is a four-star facility currently under construction at Singapore Expo and Max Atria, about a five-minute drive from Changi Airport.
When fully built in mid-2021, more than 1,300 rooms and around 340 meeting rooms will be available for reservation, and each night will cost travelers between $ 390 and $ 430 if they stay for less than three days. .
The meeting rooms can accommodate between four and 22 people and are designed for meetings rather than conferences or large-scale events.
Wong Heang Fine, executive director of the Surbana Jurong group, which built Connect @ Changi, said the facility can be quickly reused in a few weeks for other post-Covid-19 uses as it is built from prefabricated modules.
Connect @ Changi said the facility will create 800 jobs in Singapore in construction and maintenance and service provision within the facility.
Chan said MTI will study the demand for the segregated travel lane to assess the number of dedicated facilities needed and could expand the use of the lane for medical uses or for family visits.
Facility operators interested in serving as segregated facilities can submit their proposals through the Singapore Tourism Board before the end of the year.
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