Singapore to offer segregated travel lane in added effort to safely reopen borders

A NEW travel arrangement, which allows certain short-term travellers from all countries to enter Singapore while being housed in a "bubble" within dedicated facilities, has been announced on Tuesday.

The new segregated travel lane (STL) is part of efforts to reopen Singapore's borders in a controlled and safe manner, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said in a press statement. It complements other travel lanes already established, such as the reciprocal green lane.

Announced by Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing, the STL will be open to a limited number of business, official and high economic value travellers from all countries who are coming to Singapore for short-term stays of up to 14 days.

Called Connect@Singapore, the move will facilitate essential global business exchanges and support the revival of Singapore's air hub status and hospitality sector, MTI said.

For the entire duration of their stay, travellers under the STL will be housed in a "bubble" within dedicated facilities, known as segregated facilities.

The segregated facilities will have to put in place measures to segregate STL travellers from non-STL individuals. While STL travellers will be able to conduct meetings with local visitors within the facilities, there will be floor-to-ceiling dividers separating them.

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Within the segregated facility, travellers will have to stay within their pre-declared travel group of up to five travellers, and will not be allowed to mingle with other travellers outside of this group. They will also have to observe all prevailing safe management measures, and use Trace Together and Safe Entry.

STL travellers will be required to undergo an enhanced testing regime. They need to present a valid negative Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test prior to leaving their home country, and obtain a PCR test on arrival in Singapore.

While they remain accommodated in the segregated facilities, they will also be required to take antigen rapid tests on days three, five, seven and 11. Staff that serve STL travellers in the segregated facilities will also undergo routine testing.

Applications for travellers under the STL will open in the middle of next month, with the first travellers able to arrive from the second half of January.

MTI said it has been working with Connect@Changi on its possible appointment as a facility under the STL. It noted that Connect@Changi - a collaboration between Temasek and The Ascott, Changi Airport Group, Sheares Healthcare Group, SingEx and Surbana Jurong - will incorporate a rigorous Covid-19 testing regime for guest travellers.

The project's initial phase, located near Changi Airport at Singapore Expo Halls 7 and 8, involves building over 670 premium guest rooms and close to 170 meeting rooms that can accommodate a range of meeting sizes, from four to 22 attendees, Temasek said in a press statement.

Construction is now underway for the first phase of the project and Connect@Changi will launch in the first quarter of 2021. When fully constructed in mid-2021, the facility will include more than 1,300 guest rooms and about 340 meeting rooms.

The facility will also deploy "innovative solutions" to minimise contact between guests and frontline staff, such as self-service meeting rooms. Guests will also be able to meet their local and international counterparts safely in specially designed meeting rooms outfitted with air-tight glass panels to reduce the risk of transmission.

Connect@Changi will feature other initiatives related to Covid-19, such as wastewater testing for early detection, latest rapid point-of-care tests to complement established lab-based tests, and automated contact tracing within the facility.

"Business travellers landing at Changi Airport can make use of the facility to meet their Singapore-based counterparts or hold regional meetings in person, all while enjoying a comfortable stay in the equivalent of a four-star accommodation facility, with safe management measures in place," Temasek said.

MTI is planning to appoint additional segregated facilities in the next few weeks. It added that facility operators interested in serving as a segregated facility may submit their proposals through the Singapore Tourism Board by the end of this year, with more information on the application to be released in due course.