Singapore simplifies Covid-19 border measures; new VTLs with Hong Kong, Philippines, among others

SINGAPORE is simplifying its country categories for inbound travellers and freeing up entry for long-term pass holders - excluding work permit holders - as part of a major review of border measures, the multi-ministry taskforce on Covid-19 announced on Wednesday.

Other changes taking effect from 11.59pm on Feb 21 include a shorter travel history period of 7 days, down from 14 currently; a standardised 7-day stay-home notice for arrivals from all countries and regions; and less onerous testing requirements for Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) travellers.

New VTLs are also on the way, including a VTL (Sea) with Indonesia. From Feb 25, new air VTLs will begin with Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Applications for these VTLs will open on Feb 22.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung clarified that Hong Kong used to be in Category 1, which allows quarantine-free travel, but has been reclassified due to its Covid-19 situation. The unilateral VTL will thus allow travellers from Hong Kong to continue entering Singapore without quarantine.

Two-way quarantine-free sea travel between Singapore and Indonesia will resume through the VTL (Sea) from Bintan and Batam on Feb 25. Applications for these will open at 10am on Feb 22.

For a start, the VTL (Sea) will allow up to 350 travellers weekly from Batam, and another 350 travellers weekly from Bintan to Singapore's Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, on designated services operated by regional ferry operators Batam Fast and Bintan Resort Ferries.

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Indonesia already allows travellers from Singapore to travel under its travel bubble to Nongsapura International Ferry Terminal in Batam and Bandar Bintan Telani Ferry Terminal in Bintan, without the need for quarantine.

In a separate release, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said new VTLs with the Philippines and Israel will begin from Mar 4, with applications from Mar 1.

Singapore also plans to expand its VTL with Thailand to all cities, said Minister for Transport S Iswaran, without giving details.

Quotas for air VTLs -- previously halved due to the Omicron wave -- will be fully restored with immediate effect, and will be back to 15,000 travellers by Mar 4, said CAAS. Meanwhile, quotas for the land VTL with Malaysia will be restored from Feb 22. Travellers can buy additional bus tickets from Feb 16.

Ong said previously, border measures were aimed at controlling imported case numbers. But now that imported cases only make up 1 per cent of Singapore's total daily case count, the rules should be focused on whether visitors will burden the healthcare system here if they become infected with Covid-19.

"Hence, we should actually emphasise less on stay-home notices and tests on travellers and more on ensuring that they are fully vaccinated and boosted," said Ong, adding that this marks a "fundamental change" in Singapore's travel schemes.

"Our ultimate goal is quarantine-free travel for all vaccinated travellers," said Iswaran.

The first step in this is to continue having more VTLs, before eventually moving to a vaccinated traveller scheme, said Ong.

Under the simpler border protocols, travellers arriving on VTLs will no longer need to go through the enhanced testing regime, and - along with travellers from Category 1 countries - will no longer need to take an on-arrival polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

Instead, they only need to take a supervised self-swab antigen rapid test (ART) at one of the designated test centres, within 24 hours of arriving in Singapore.

Vaccinated long-term pass holders - excluding work permit holders - will no longer need a Vaccinated Travel Pass or an Entry Approval to enter Singapore, though they must still adhere to prevailing border health measures on entry. These include holders of a Long Term Visit Pass or Dependant's Pass; workers on other employment-based passes such as the Employment Pass or S Pass; and those on a Student's Pass.

Categories 2, 3 and 4 will be combined into a single "general travel" category, while a new "restricted" category will be created for countries and regions with developing Covid-19 situations that require stricter border controls. For now, there are no countries under the "restricted" category.

Meanwhile, travellers from Category 1 countries can continue to enter without quarantine as those areas have very low infection rates.