Amid countries easing travel restrictions, Singapore on Saturday opened its border for nine more countries despite battling a record Covid-19 outbreak at the moment. In its latest travel guidelines, the country has allowed vaccinated travellers from the US, UK, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain.
From October 19, air passengers from these nine countries will not be required to follow the quarantine rules if they pass their Covid-19 tests. The announcement marks a major step in Singapore’s strategy to resume international links. However, India is still not a part of Singapore’s new travel lane arrangement.
The safetravel.ica.gov.sg website stated, “No vaccinated travel lane arrangement for travellers departing from India”. It further read, “Non-Singapore Citizens and permanent residents with travel or transit history through India in the 14 days before arrival are currently not allowed to enter Singapore”.
Travel from Singapore to these nine countries can be on any Singapore Airlines flight, while travel from these countries to Singapore must be on designated Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights. Travelling to multiple VTL countries within the same trip is allowed.
Travellers will be required to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination and take two Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests when flying into Singapore. Short-term visitors and Long-Term Pass holders need to apply for a Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) to board the VTL flights to Singapore, which can be done online.
Note that Singapore already allows quarantine-free travel from ‘Category I’ places like China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, though most of those places haven’t reciprocated. With the latest move, Singapore Airlines Ltd will be expanding its vaccinated travel lanes network to 14 cities, with more points on specially designated flights to be announced in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, UK also eased travel restrictions for Indian passengers earlier this week. Fully vaccinated Indians with Covishield or any other UK-approved vaccine will not be quarantined when they arrive in Britain from October 11, the High Commissioner to India said, ending a row over what was perceived as the unfair imposition of COVID-19 quarantine rules.
“No quarantine for India travellers to United Kingdom fully vaccinated with Covishield or another UK-approved vaccine from 11 October. Thanks to Indian government for close cooperation over last month,” British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis tweeted.
The development comes after the Indian government imposed reciprocal travel curbs on British travellers arriving in the country.
From 4 am 11 October (Monday), eligible travellers vaccinated in over 37 new countries and territories including Brazil, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, South Africa and Turkey, will also be treated the same as returning fully vaccinated UK residents, so long as they have not visited a red list country or territory in the 10 days before arriving in England.
