Vaccinated travellers to remain subject to border restrictions and SHN requirements

SINGAPORE will take a "more cautious approach" with Covid-19 vaccinated travellers for the time being, with such travellers remaining subject to prevailing border measures and stay-home notice (SHN) requirements, said Lawrence Wong in Parliament on Monday.

However, he added, the government will "carefully study" the effectiveness of vaccinations in reducing the risk of Covid-19 transmissions, and fine-tune its approach over time.

"The main benefit of the vaccine is that it offers protection to the vaccinated individual. It is likely that the vaccination can also reduce the risk of transmission of the virus. But at present we still do not know the extent of the reduction," said Mr Wong, who co-chairs the Covid-19 multi-ministry task force.

He added: "If there is clear evidence that transmission risks can be lowered significantly, then we will certainly consider some relaxation to the SHN regime for vaccinated travellers."

Governments worldwide are starting to roll out Covid-19 vaccines, with Singapore planning to offer vaccinations to seniors from February, and the wider population thereafter. Vaccinations for healthcare workers have already begun.

Mr Wong pointed to ongoing studies on the effectiveness of vaccines in reducing transmission risk, and said the government was monitoring these closely.

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Currently, Singapore's entry requirements differ across countries and traveller types, depending heavily on the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the respective countries.

In general, short-term visitors are not allowed into Singapore. Citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders are allowed entry, subject to a 14-day SHN period and a Covid-19 swab test upon arrival. In addition, long-term pass holders must test negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours before their departure for Singapore.

However, these requirements vary for certain countries where there are specified rules in place. For example, there are less onerous restrictions for travellers - including short-term travellers - from territories where Covid-19 is currently deemed well under control, such as mainland China.

At the other end of the spectrum, foreign travellers - including long-term pass holders - who have visited South Africa or the United Kingdom in the last 14 days are now barred from entering Singapore, even if they had prior approval to do so.

The tightening measures were introduced following reports of new and potent Covid-19 variants circulating in these two countries.

Also addressing Parliament today, Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health and co-chair of the multi-ministry task force, said there was currently no evidence that existing Covid-19 vaccines were less effective against the new variant in the United Kingdom.

"Mutations occur in viruses naturally, and different strains can emerge from time to time - especially in a long-drawn pandemic," Mr Gan said. "Experts have said that it is unlikely that these mutations would impact effectiveness of current vaccines."

Both Mr Gan and Mr Wong said the government will continue to evaluate the relevant data, and review Singapore's vaccine measures and border strategies accordingly.