Singapore extends travel-history tracking, stay-home notice period to 21 days for higher-risk arrivals

SINGAPORE is further tightening border and quarantine measures for travellers from higher-risk countries or regions, looking at longer travel-history periods and requiring a 21-day stay-home notice (SHN) to be served in dedicated facilities.

The moves were announced by the multi-ministry taskforce on Covid-19 on Tuesday, alongside a tightening of community measures that marked a return to some aspects of Phase 2 of reopening.

From 11.59pm on May 7, prevailing border measures will be determined based on an individual's travel history in the past 21 consecutive days, up from 14 days currently.

From the same time, all travellers with such travel history to higher-risk areas will have to serve a 21-day SHN in a dedicated facility, up from 14 days for certain countries currently. Those currently serving their 14-day SHN will have to serve the additional seven days too.

As of May 4, all countries or regions are deemed to be of "higher risk", except for Australia, Brunei, mainland China, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao.

Previously, travellers who were in Fiji and Vietnam in the last 14 days before arrival were allowed to opt out of serving their 14-day SHN at dedicated facilities. This will no longer be the case; they will have to serve a 21-day SHN, with the first 14 days in a dedicated facility and the option to serve the last seven days at home.

Travellers from the United Kingdom, South Africa, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, who are currently required to serve 21-day SHN will now be required to serve the full duration at dedicated SHN facilities. Those who are currently serving their SHN will have to complete it at their current location, to minimise movement and transmission risk.