Expanding VTLs: reconnecting Singapore with the rest of the world
SINGAPORE'S ongoing efforts to expand its network of Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) have been seen, by some detractors, as inviting in potential vectors of disease for little obvious gain.
Yet such a view is both contradicted by the evidence - given the strict safeguards in place and a low incidence rate of about 1 imported case per 1,000 VTL travellers - and woefully blinkered.
The establishment of a VTL is not simply the opening of a door to visitors - though it does remain important to signal that the republic is "open for business". Each link also represents a willingness to reach outward and restore ties with the rest of the world.
On Monday (Nov 8), upcoming VTLs were announced with Malaysia, Finland and Sweden, while several countries moved up in Singapore's travel risk classification system. Naturally, most attention was paid to the renewed connection between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the world's busiest international air route before the pandemic.
Yet, the upgrading of several Asean member states is notable too, not just for the immediate effects on travel - which may be limited to those travelling for business or familial reasons - but for how this opens up the possibility of further VTLs. In addition to the 16 VTLs announced so far, the list of Category 2 countries presents many other possibilities.
Given the porous nature of borders in Europe's Schengen area, it is a natural move to expand the VTL network to include more such members, like the aforementioned Nordic pair.
Closer to home, however, is a region where renewed travel has been long desired. Besides Malaysia, 3 other Asean destinations are moving to Category 2 with effect from Nov 12: Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Malaysia's inclusion in Category 2 "set the stage" for its VTL, said Transport Minister S Iswaran on Monday. The reclassification of the other 3 countries similarly paves the way. Indeed, Singapore is "in discussions with our other Asean neighbours to reconnect with them", said Iswaran.
With the pandemic having fragmented the region for so long, the revival of travel links has both practical and symbolic heft. Beyond the enabling of physical travel, it encourages regional commerce by restoring a sense of "the region" itself; a belief in its interconnectedness and interdependence.
Iswaran noted that Singapore is also in discussions with "partners in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific". Category 2 countries in the former group include Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, home to major international air hubs. Restoring connectivity to them would go a significant way towards plugging Singapore back into the fabric of air travel.
Granted, in this as in many other aspects of life, there may not be a full return to a pre-Covid state. The restoring of land links between Malaysia and Singapore will be a major development to watch - not just for what it will finally enable, but what it might not.
It is unclear if the previous model of daily commuting workers, for instance, will return; or if Johor businesses will once again stake their livelihoods on cross-border customers.
Still, what matters is that both sides will be able to start reconceptualising and re-establishing this closest of relationships. As Singapore moves towards living with Covid-19, it must rediscover how to live with the rest of the world as well.
READ MORE: Might VTL countries tighten curbs on arrivals from Singapore?
