SINGAPORE, 13 February 2023: Starting today, travellers who are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer need to show proof of a negative pre-departure test or proof of vaccination before entering Singapore.
First reported by the Strait Times, it marks the easing of the last remaining border restrictions implemented during the pandemic in April 2022.
Short-term visitors to Singapore who are not fully vaccinated will no longer be required to buy travel insurance that covers Covid-19 medical treatment, according to a statement by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Restrictions that are being phased out were first introduced under the Vaccinated Travel Framework in April 2022 and could be reactivated if there are international developments of concern, such as new severe variants or signs that the healthcare capacity is under duress or at risk according to the MOH statement.
Currently, travellers can enter Singapore without testing or quarantine. But those aged 13 and above must show proof that at least two weeks before arrival in Singapore, they had received the minimum dosage of Covid-19 vaccines under the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) emergency use list.
The minimum dosage would include at least two doses of the AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccines or a mixture of these jabs.
Under current rules, those who do not meet these requirements are not considered fully vaccinated and must meet additional requirements, such as pre-departure testing, before entering Singapore.
The changes, effective on 13 February, are a response to the stable and improving global Covid-19 situation and the low impact of imported cases on Singapore’s healthcare capacity, according to the Ministry of Health.
The ministry said the coronavirus situation in Singapore has remained stable in recent months despite increased travel over the year-end holiday period, the Northern Hemisphere winter season and China’s shift away from its zero-Covid-19 policy.
MOH added that new Covid-19 cases have declined since late December 2022, and viral variants of higher severity have not emerged.
MOH also noted that the WHO recently acknowledged that the pandemic is nearing a turning point, signalling that the global Covid-19 emergency may end soon.
All travellers entering Singapore via air or sea and short-term visitors entering via land checkpoints will still need to submit a health declaration using the SG Arrival Card platform.
(Source: Straits Times) https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-will-lift-remaining-covid-19-border-restrictions-from-feb-13
