SINGAPORE: Singapore will lift border restrictions for visitors from Taiwan from Dec 18, said the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAS) on Friday (Dec 11).
With immediate effect, travellers can apply for a single-entry Air Travel Pass (ATP) to enter Singapore from next Friday, said CAAS in a news release, adding that they must be in Taiwan for 14 consecutive days before departure.
AdvertisementAdvertisementUpon arrival, visitors will undergo a COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test and if the result is negative, they will be allowed to go about their activities in Singapore without serving a stay-home notice.
As part of the contract tracing process, travellers from Taiwan must download and register for the TraceTogether app on their mobile devices before entering Singapore and keep it activated during their stay.
They must not delete it for 14 consecutive days after leaving Singapore.
They will also be responsible for their medical bills related to COVID-19 while in Singapore, said CAAS.
AdvertisementAdvertisementIn an exclusive interview with CNA, Singapore's Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said Taiwan is a "very safe partner to do an unilateral opening" with.
He cited how a few weeks ago, Taiwan unilaterally reduced the quarantine period for essential business travellers from Singapore to just five days.
[h=3]READ: Singapore, Hong Kong to defer air travel bubble launch[/h][h=3]READ: Hong Kong, Singapore bubble delay highlights hurdles to travel recovery[/h] AdvertisementSuch travellers must also adhere to a controlled itinerary in Taiwan.
"That is the most relaxed rule they have imposed on any traveller and which they accorded Singapore as the lowest risk country," said Mr Ong.
"So with this unilateral opening, I think it's not bad, as a business traveller, you can go to Taiwan with five days quarantine. And then when you return with a test, there's no need for SHN (stay-home notice). So it's possible, hopefully we'll get a bit more to and fro between the two places."
[h=3]SINGAPORE: Fast lane, green lane, air travel bubble: What you need to know about Singapore's COVID-19 travel measures[/h]From Dec 18, Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders returning from Taiwan will similarly undergo a PCR test upon arrival, said CAAS in its release.
This is in lieu of a 7-day stay-home notice. If the result is negative, visitors will be allowed to go about their activities in Singapore.
The announcement comes after earlier lifting of border restrictions for travellers from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, China, New Zealand and Vietnam.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said of about 4,050 passengers from these countries have arrived in Singapore, as of Dec 10. None of the visitors under the ATP scheme have tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival.
It has approved more than 9,250 ATP applications.
Taiwan has reported no local cases for more than 200 days. When asked why Taiwan was not one of the first places that Singapore unilaterally opened borders to, Mr Ong said: "There's no particular methodology to it, it is just what is suitable at that point in time.”
He added: "We don't unilaterally open to every place, every country that has very low infection, even though we trust their system. But let's open bit by bit. So far, it has proceeded smoothly. That's not affected our infection rate in Singapore. So I think that was the right approach.
"But I think I am running out of places. I hope to have more places as vaccines come."
[h=3]READ: Commentary: Removing travel restrictions isn’t as scary as it sounds[/h][h=3]READ: Commentary: As Singapore gradually opens its borders, we need to be mindful of a second COVID-19 wave[/h]When asked if Singapore is pursuing an air travel bubble arrangement with Taiwan to allow general travellers to move between borders, Mr Ong said he would like to pursue such an arrangement with all the places the country has unilaterally opened to.
“I will be more than happy to have a travel bubble with all of them. Because we are comfortable with them. But it takes two hands to clap. Especially for the northern hemisphere - now they are going through winter. So winter is a sensitive period, you see these cases spike up … it is not a time when they are prepared ... to try to establish an air travel bubble.”
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