The Singapore government announced it is allowing travelers from Brunei and New Zealand to visit starting next month as the city-state takes a “small, cautious step” to restart air travel.
The republic closed its borders in March 2020 to tourists and visitors to stave off the spread of the COVID-19 disease.
From September, arrivals from Brunei and New Zealand will only undergo a virus test instead of a 14-day quarantine.
Meanwhile, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has welcomed this recent announcement from the government.
“Singapore’s unilateral opening of its borders to travellers from Brunei and New Zealand is a very important step in the right direction,” said AAPA director general Subhas Menon.
“Cross border travel has been stalled ever since March 2020 in the Asia Pacific region. The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines applauds the Singapore Government’s efforts to restart air travel in a safe yet progressive way,” he said.
“Adopting a testing regime without onerous quarantine requirements sets a standard worth emulating in facilitating air travel and economic recovery in the region.”
Singapore’s Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said the relaxation of restrictions aims to strike a balance between controlling the spread of the virus and reviving air travel, a key driver of Singaporean economy, which is highly reliant on trade and tourism.
This is a small, cautious step to start to reopen aviation and resuscitate Changi Airport as well as Singapore Airlines, Ong told reporters.
Brunei and New Zealand were selected because they are small nations and they have put the virus under control, Ong added.
Travelers who have been in these two countries in the last consecutive 14 days before their arrival in Singapore will only be required to take a COVID-19 test upon landing, but will not have to isolate themselves for a certain number of days like travelers arriving from other places.
They must test negative for the coronavirus before being allowed to move around in Singapore.
Visitors from these two countries will need to apply for an air travel pass for seven to 30 days before their intended date of entry into Singapore. They can apply for the pass from September 1, for travel from September 8.
The quarantine period has also been cut from 14 to seven days for travelers from low-risk regions including Australia (except for Victoria state), China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Photo by Darren Nunis on Unsplash
