Incoming travellers to Singapore will have to take swab tests, bear costs of test

SINGAPORE will make changes to its border measures from this week, including testing of all incoming travellers.

Since March 21, all incoming travellers - including Singaporeans, permanent residents (PRs) and long-term pass holders - have had to serve a two week stay-home notice (SHN). From 23:59 on June 17, incoming travellers will also have to take a swab test a few days before the end of their SHN period. The swab test will take place at a community testing facility at a designated venue and time slot. They will have to take private transport, such as their own vehicle, taxi or private hire car from their home to the testing facility instead of public transport.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the swab test is an additional precautionary measure to detect the virus, given the risks of asymptomatic cases. "We will monitor the results of these tests and may make adjustments to the testing requirements over time," MOH added.

Meanwhile, all travellers who are entering Singapore after two consecutive weeks in Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, China, New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam or South Korea will be able to carry out their SHN at home or a hotel at their own cost. Aside from these countries, all other travellers entering Singapore will continue to serve their two week SHN at dedicated SHN facilities. They will also have to cover the S$2,000 cost of their two-week stay at the SHN facility, unless they are a Singaporean or PR.

All inbound and outbound travellers who enter Singapore from 23:59 on June 17 will also have to cover the cost of their own Covid-19 test, which can cost up to S$200.

Prior to this, the government had borne the costs of stays at SHN facilities for travellers entering Singapore, as long as they departed the Republic before March 27 as per the prevailing travel advisory, as well as the costs of the bulk of Covid-19 tests. Singaporeans and Singapore residents are still advised by the government to defer all travel abroad, unless it is essential business or official travel under the fast lane arrangement.

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Long-term pass holders will still need to get the necessary approvals to enter Singapore, aside from those using the Singapore-China fast lane arrangement. With global and local health conditions improving, MOH has gradually increased the number of entry approvals given to long-term pass holders and expects to facilitate the entry of more in the coming weeks, it highlighted.

"We will also study how to facilitate business travels, in particular for professionals based in Singapore who need to travel frequently as part of their work, with the necessary safeguards," added MOH.

Short-term visitors, which includes tourists, are not allowed to enter Singapore yet, aside from those who are under the fast-lane arrangement or have special approvals.