Singapore has finally done away with quarantine for incoming fully vaccinated leisure and business travellers. From 1 April 2022, any fully vaccinated traveller will be able to enter Singapore without the need to quarantine.
Singapore has also done away with the complicated concepts of vaccinated travel lanes (VTL) and unique air bubbles that were configured with their own host of rules and regulations with its select list of designated VTL flights. Instead, the new travel protocol is simple: all flights coming in and going out of Singapore are part of the new protocol.
The new and straightforward process of entering Singapore is as follows:
- Get proof of vaccination.
- Buy tickets on any flights to Singapore.
- Have travel insurance with at least S$ 30,000 coverage for Covid-19 related medical costs.
- Submit an SG Arrival Card online that includes an e-health declaration. This can be done on the official Immigration & Checkpoint Authority (ICA) website. In essence, this is a simple form that aims to capture your travel and medical history over the past 14 days.
- Get the Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction test (PCR) or a professionally administered Antigen Rapid Test (ART, also known as RAT or lateral flow test) 48 hours prior to departure.
- Download the Trace Together app for contact tracing purposes. It’s also needed to get into buildings, restaurants, offices and pretty much any non-public place.
An even simpler summary of this process would be: get a negative PCT/ART test, obtain proof of vaccination and fill out the SG Arrival Card.
Armed with this simple documentation, the Lion City is open for all.
As of 29 March 2022, the safe management measures in place within Singapore have also been relaxed. Mask wearing is optional when outdoors and mandatory when indoors. Group sizes have been increased to 10. Attractions, cruises, MICE events, performing arts venues and sports stadiums can have events up to 1,000 pax.
Singapore’s neighbouring countries, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, have also opened up their borders with relaxed norms for leisure travel. Changi International Airport, the key air hub of South East Asia, is slowly gearing up for a revival after a two-year slumber. The current airport operations are restricted to Terminal 1, with plans in place to reopen Terminal 2 over the course of 2022.
It is now time to explore South East Asia! All the major and minor, tourist destinations in Singapore and neighbouring countries are gearing up for a revival. ◼
