SINGAPORE: Singapore on Tuesday announced that travellers from India will have to serve an additional seven days Stay-at-Home Notice apart from the usual mandatory 14 days quarantine at a dedicated facility due to the steep rise in the coronavirus cases and the emergence of new virus strain in the country.
The announcement by the Ministry of Health came as the entry approvals for non-Singapore citizens and non-permanent residents are being reduced with immediate effect, in response to the worsening COVID-19 situation in India.
From 11.59 pm on Thursday, all travellers from India will also have to serve an additional seven-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) at their place of residence, following the usual 14-day SHN at a dedicated facility, a statement by the Singapore's Ministry of Health was quoted as saying in a report of The Straits Times.
Those who have yet to complete their 14-day SHN by that time will also have to serve the extra seven days, the report said.
The travellers will be tested for COVID-19 at the end of the initial 14-day SHN and at the end of the additional seven-day SHN.
Migrant workers arriving from India who work in the construction, marine and process sectors will continue to be subjected to a 21-day SHN.
These measures will minimise importation risks and protect public health, said the Ministry.
Meanwhile, the SHN period for travellers from Hong Kong will be reduced from 14 days to seven days, as the situation there has improved, and the SHN can also be served at one's place of residence if it is suitable.
This will apply to travellers who have remained in Hong Kong in the last 14 consecutive days and who enter Singapore from 11.59 pm on Thursday.
They will be subjected to Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test upon arrival and another PCR test before the end of their seven-day SHN.
Singapore will also allow entry and transit for all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to Britain and South Africa from 11.59 pm on Thursday.
They will be able to enter Singapore after obtaining the relevant entry approvals or transit through the airport on airlines approved to operate such transfers.
This group had earlier been subject to restricted entry due to concerns of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus circulating in these places.
Arriving travellers who were in Britain and South Africa in the last 14 days prior to their entry will continue to be subjected to a seven-day SHN period at their place of residence, following their 14-day SHN at dedicated facilities.
The ministry said Singapore's existing border control and domestic measures have been able to contain the risks of community spread from imported cases with such variants, which is now present in many countries beyond Britain and South Africa.
The ministry will continue to evaluate the data on the various strains of the virus that cause COVID-19 as they emerge and review Singapore's border measures accordingly.