SINGAPORE, 18 December 2020: A new Segregated Travel Lane (STL) will open in January 2021, part of efforts to re-open borders in a controlled and safe manner.
Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry, Chan Chun Sing, announced the new travel lane earlier this week saying it would facilitate essential global business exchanges and support the revival of Singapore’s air hub status and hospitality sector.
The STL will be limited to high economic value business travellers who are planning short-term stays of up to 14 days. Applications will open in the middle of January 2021, and the first travellers should arrive during the second half of the month.
The STL will complement other travel lanes that have already been established, such as the Reciprocal Green Lane. However, as the name suggests, travellers will be segregated to comply with strict health and testing protocols such as the Antigen Rapid Test to protect travellers and the local community.
For the entire duration of their stay in Singapore, STL travellers will be housed in a “bubble” within dedicated Segregated Facilities and will, undergo regular testing. STL travellers will be able to conduct meetings with local visitors and with other STL traveller groups while in the Segregated Facilities.
To enter the travel lane, travellers will have to present a valid negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test before leaving their home country. They then obtain a PCR test on arrival in Singapore, and Antigen Rapid Tests (ART) on days three, five, seven, and 11 of their stay.
STL travellers will be required to stay within a “bubble” at Segregated Facilities and measures will be enforced to segregate STL travellers from non-STL individuals. For example, while travellers will be allowed to meet with local visitors, there will be floor-to-ceiling dividers separating travellers from local visitors. Staff serving STL travellers in the Segregated Facilities will undergo routine testing.
Facility operators interested in serving as a Segregated Facility may submit their proposals through the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) no later than 31 December 2020.
