Key Highlights:
- Singapore suspends new ticket sales for quarantine-free travel in an effort to reduce exposure to imported omicron cases, according to a statement issued by the health ministry.
- Travelers who have previously purchased tickets through Singapore’s vaccinated travel lane arrangements will be able to enter the country without having to serve quarantines.
- Singapore’s vaccinated travel lane initiative was critical in the country’s shift to a “living with Covid” approach
Singapore suspends new ticket sales
Singapore suspends new ticket sales for quarantine-free travel in an effort to reduce exposure to imported omicron cases, according to a statement issued by the health ministry.
The restriction, which goes into effect on Dec. 23 and lasts until January 20, affects flights and buses into the city-state.
Travelers who have previously purchased tickets through Singapore’s vaccinated travel lane arrangements will be able to enter the country without having to serve quarantines.
“Our border actions will serve to buy us time to investigate and comprehend the Omicron variety, as well as to enhance our defenses, including increasing healthcare capacity and getting more people vaccinated and boosted,” the health ministry stated.
Omicron cases increase in Singapore
So far, Singapore has identified 65 imported omicron cases. According to the health ministry, there were six local omicron instances in the country as of December 20.
According to health ministry figures, around 96 percent of Singapore’s eligible population, or approximately 87 percent of the entire population, is completely vaccinated. More than one-third of the population (34%) has gotten a booster. Shots for youngsters aged 5 to 11 have been approved, and they will begin next week.
According to the press release, when the ticket sale restriction expires on Jan. 20, the number of persons authorized to enter Singapore without serving quarantines would be temporarily decreased.
More information on vaccinated travel lanes to be provided
The Singapore Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, according to the health ministry, would give further information about vaccinated travel lanes by air and land, respectively.
Travelers entering Singapore under quarantine-free conditions must do a PCR test upon arrival and daily antigen fast testing for the first seven days.
Singapore’s vaccinated travel lane initiative was critical in the country’s shift to a “living with Covid” approach, which reopened borders while maintaining some anti-virus measures. The decision to halt fresh ticket sales for this arrangement looks to be the most significant yet most modest part of that endeavor.
Since the discovery of omicron, the government has strengthened testing requirements for visitors and delayed the opening of quarantine-free transit routes with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Singapore has also prohibited travel from African nations, particularly South Africa, where the omicron strain was discovered first.
Read more: Singapore passes foreign interference law
