Vaccinated Singaporeans can fly to Australia and back without quarantine from Nov 21

[SINGAPORE] Vaccinated Singaporeans will be able to travel to parts of Australia and back without quarantine in either country from Nov 21.

Australian media reported on Sunday (Oct 31) that tourists, workers and students will be allowed to visit New South Wales and Victoria without spending 14 days in hotel quarantine.

The deal was finalised between Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Rome.

The Republic is the second country Australia has opened up to after New Zealand.

Singapore announced the start of a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) earlier this month that will allow vaccinated travellers from Australia to enter Singapore without having to serve a stay-home notice, beginning Nov 8.

With Australia also opening up from Nov 21, a vaccinated Singaporean will be able to depart for New South Wales and return without having to serve quarantine in either country.

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PM Lee said in a statement that Australia's move is a significant step towards restoring the close connectivity between Singapore and Australia.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister S Iswaran said in a Facebook post: "Families and loved ones can reunite, students can resume their studies, and business people and tourists can once again travel."

The VTLs announced by the Republic let vaccinated travellers enter Singapore without having to serve stay-home notices. Instead, they will take a Covid-19 swab test before departure and after arrival in Singapore.

Singapore has so far announced 13 VTLs. Ten, including those with the United States and Britain, have already started, while the last one for South Korea is due to start on Nov 15.

Australia was among the top 10 markets for annual passenger arrivals at Changi Airport, accounting for about 4 per cent of total arrivals in 2019.

There are more than 50,000 Singaporeans who live in Australia while over 25,000 Australians live in Singapore.

THE STRAITS TIMES