28 Mar 2022 By May Ng
Singapore Reopens Fully With Vaccinated Travel Framework
Over the past few months, Singapore has simplified our country/region classification and border measures to pave the way for more Vaccinated Travel. With many countries/regions having passed the peak of their Omicron wave and our local COVID-19 situation stabilising, we are ready to launch the Vaccinated Travel Framework for all travellers including Short-Term Visitors (STVs). We will classify all countries/regions either under the General Travel or the Restricted Category and accord border measures by individual travellers’ vaccination status. All countries/regions will come under the General Travel Category to begin with. There are no countries/regions in the Restricted Category currently.
General Travel Category Border Measures
- From 31 March 2022, 2359 hours (Singapore time), the border measures for travellers arriving via air or sea checkpoints from countries/regions in the General Travel Category will be as follows:
- All fully vaccinated travellers[1] and non-fully vaccinated children aged 12 and below[2] are permitted to enter Singapore. All vaccination certificates, regardless of country of issuance and whether digitally verifiable or not, will be accepted as proof of vaccination. They will not need to apply for entry approvals (Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP)) or take designated Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) transport. They will continue to be subjected to a pre-departure test (PDT) within 2 days before departure for Singapore, but will no longer be required to serve a Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or undergo an unsupervised Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) after arriving in Singapore. We will continue to monitor the local and global COVID-19 situations and consider removing the PDT requirement in the coming weeks;
- Non-fully vaccinated Long-Term Pass Holders (LTPHs) and STVs aged 13 and above are generally not allowed to enter Singapore, with the following exceptions (i) LTPHs medically ineligible for vaccines ; (ii) LTPHs aged 13 to 17, subject to the appropriate measures[3] and (iii) LTPHs and STVs with other valid entry approval (e.g. for compassionate reasons). They are required to take a PDT within 2 days before departure for Singapore, undergo a 7-day SHN, and take a PCR test at the end of their SHN period.
- See Annex A for a summary on entry requirements to Singapore.
Restricted Category Border Measures
- In the event of a new variant with potentially significant public health risk, we may re-classify significantly affected countries/regions under the Restricted Category with stringent border measures, such as the need for entry approvals for STVs to enter Singapore. This is to enable us to limit the risk of importing new and potentially dangerous variants if they arise, as well as to buy time for experts to better understand the characteristics of these variants and to develop appropriate public health recommendations.[4]
- See Annex B for details on the border measures for travellers arriving from 31 March 2022, 2359. The latest border requirements can be found on the SafeTravel website. Travellers are strongly advised to visit the website to check the latest border measures before entering Singapore, and be prepared to adhere to the prevailing border measures upon entry into Singapore.
Updates on Safe Management Measures (SMMs)
- From 29 March 2022, the following adjustments will be implemented:
- Group Sizes. The permissible group size for social gatherings will be increased from 5 persons to 10 persons for mask-off activities.
- Mask-Wearing. Mask-wearing will continue to be required for indoor settings when people leave their homes, but will be optional in outdoor settings. However, individuals are encouraged to wear their masks even when outdoors for personal protection and to protect others, especially in crowded areas. Indoor places refer to all buildings/places with clearly defined entrances/exits, such as office buildings, shopping malls, public transport (i.e. when commuting in trains and buses), and includes hawker centres and coffeeshops. Places which are sheltered but with open access generally, such as Housing Development Board (HDB) void decks, retail block walkways, bus stops, and naturally ventilated bus interchanges will be regarded as outdoor areas.
- Safe Distancing. Safe distancing continues to be encouraged but will not be required between individuals or groups for mask-on settings. A safe distance of 1 metre will continue to be required for mask-off settings. between individuals or between groups up to the prevailing group size limit.
- Capacity Limits. The capacity limit of 50% for large events and settings of more than 1,000 pax[5] will be increased to 75%. This means that:
- For smaller settings/events with ≤1,000 pax, they can proceed without being subject to any capacity limit.
- For larger settings/events with >1,000 pax and that are mask-on[6], they will be subject to operating within 75% of the capacity limit of the venue. For mask-off events, individuals or groups of individuals up to the prevailing group size will be required to comply with the 1 metre safe distancing requirement.
See Annex C for the list of settings/events covered.
- Dine-in at food and beverage (F&B) establishments. In line with the increase in group size, groups of up to 10 fully vaccinated persons will be allowed to dine-in at F&B establishments, including hawker centres and coffee shops, where full vaccination-differentiated SMMs (VDS) checks have been implemented at their entrances.
- Alcohol consumption. The current restriction, in F&B establishments, on the sale and consumption of alcohol after 10.30pm will be lifted.
- Live performances and screening of programmes. Live performances will be allowed to resume at all venues, including F&B establishments. Screening of live broadcast programmes and recorded entertainment in F&B establishments will also resume.
- Social events and larger-scale social gatherings. Larger-scale social gatherings and events (e.g gala dinners, corporate dinner-and-dance events (D&Ds)) will be allowed to resume. Organisers of these events should still comply to prevailing SMMs (i.e no more than 10 persons per table, and safe distancing of 1 m maintained between tables). Participants are encouraged to limit their interactions to the same group they are seated with.
The SingapoReimagine Campaign
9. SingapoReimagine (SRI) is an international campaign to rally local and global communities to reset and revive tourism, while building the anticipation for travel to Singapore. As travel gradually resumes, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) aims to reignite the passion to travel by showcasing how Singapore has reimagined itself through fresh and innovative experiences, while ensuring peace-of-mind for all travellers. See Annex D on how STB Oceania has encouraged Australians to reimagine Singapore.
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