SINGAPORE: Long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel to the United Kingdom will not be allowed entry into Singapore from 11.59pm on Wednesday (Dec 23), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday.
The travellers, including short-term visitors who have travelled to the UK within the last 14 days, will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore, said the ministry.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe announcement followed the discovery of a new highly infectious strain of the novel coronavirus in the UK, which British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said was "out of control".
"There have been recent reports of a potentially more contagious strain of the COVID-19 virus circulating in the UK," said MOH.
"Officials within the UK are also concerned about this new virus and have put in place more stringent restrictions, including imposing a new lockdown in London.
"To reduce the risk of spread to Singapore, we are putting in place new border restrictions for travellers from UK for further precaution," said the ministry.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe move by Singapore follows similar measures by other places that have already banned flights from Britain, including Hong Kong, India, Germany and France.
The ban will also apply to travellers who had obtained prior approval for entry into Singapore.
Returning Singapore citizens and permanent residents will be required to undergo a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival in Singapore, at the start of their 14-day stay-home notice.
Under current rules, all eligible travellers arriving from the UK have to serve a 14-day stay-home notice at a dedicated facility. Non-residents are also required to produce a negative COVID-19 swab test taken within 72 hours before their flight to Singapore.
AdvertisementHealth authorities in the UK said the new strain may be 70 per cent more infectious. Although much is not known about the strain, experts say the current vaccines should still be effective against it.
"While the strain has been suggested to be more transmissible, there is currently insufficient evidence to determine if this strain is associated with any change in disease severity, antibody response or vaccine efficacy," said MOH.
"These aspects are being investigated by the UK authorities. The Ministry of Health will evaluate the data as it emerges and review our border measures accordingly."
The World Health Organization cautioned against major alarm over the new highly COVID-19 variant, saying this was a normal part of a pandemic's evolution.
"We have to find a balance. It's very important to have transparency, it's very important to tell the public the way it is, but it's also important to get across that this is a normal part of virus evolution," WHO emergencies chief Mike Ryan told an online briefing.
However, the new variant carries mutations that could mean children are as susceptible to becoming infected with it as adults - unlike previous strains, scientists from the UK government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) said on Monday.
"There is a hint that it has a higher propensity to infect children," said Neil Ferguson, a professor and infectious disease epidemiologist at Imperial College London and also a member of NERVTAG.
TIGHTER MEASURES FOR NEW SOUTH WALES TRAVELLERS
Border measures for travellers with travel history to New South Wales in Australia within the past 14 days will also be tightened from 11.59pm on Wednesday due to a resurgence in the number of cases, said MOH.
All travellers from Australia will be required to declare their travel history at airline check-in prior to their flight to Singapore.
Short-term travellers holding an Air Travel Pass and who have travelled to New South Wales within the last 14 days before departure for Singapore will not be allowed to enter the country.
Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders will be subject to a seven-day stay-home notice at their place of residence, with a COVID-19 PCR test before the end of the notice period.
Currently, all travellers from Australia are allowed to undergo a COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival. If the test is negative, they will be allowed to go about their activities in Singapore without a need to serve a stay-home notice.
READ: What we know about the new strain of coronavirus found in Britain
On Monday, the first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Singapore, making it the first country in Asia to receive the vaccines.
The vaccine shipment comes a week before Singapore enters Phase 3 of its reopening.
In Phase 3, social gatherings of up to eight people allowed and households will be permitted to receive up to eight visitors at any one time.
The authorities will also increase capacity limits for venues. For malls and large standalone stores, the capacity limit will be increased from 10 square metres per person to eight square metres per person.
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