COVID-19: Singapore Adjusting Its Border Controls

By Massita Ahmad SINGAPORE, July 18 (Bernama) -- Singapore is adjusting its border controls in line with the COVID-19 situation abroad and the assessed risk of importation from arriving travellers, according to the republic's Multi-Ministry Taskforce on COVID-19. Given the resurgence of cases globally, travellers entering Singapore after 11.59 pm on July 19, with recent travel history including transit to Victoria, Australia; Japan; and Hong Kong within the last 14 days, will be required to serve their Stay-Home Notice (SHN). In fact, they are required to serve the SHN at dedicated facilities instead of their own place of residence as well as to undergo a COVID-19 test before they end their SHN. And, for travellers who left Singapore from March 27, 2020, despite the prevailing travel advisory, as well as travellers who are not Singaporean or Permanent Residents, they are now required to pay for their stay at dedicated SHN facilities. “This is the change we are making. Again, I think it is not something new. As we have repeatedly emphasised, our border control measures are not static; they are not cast in stone,” said the co-chair of the Taskforce, Lawrence Wong. “We are constantly reviewing, updating them based on our assessment of the viral situation around the world in different countries,” said Wong who is also the National Development Minister of the caretaker government at a virtual press conference Friday. Wong noted that this is another move the republic is making now, and that they may make further moves as they assess the situation. “We have said that repeatedly, and again it bears emphasis. This is a long fight for the world as it is for Singapore. You can see around the world now, the number of cases globally continues to rise. “It is not plateauing; it is rising. In some countries, you are seeing a resurgence, in some countries it has not even been controlled at all, and the cases are still accelerating,” he said. Globally, there are now more than 13 million reported COVID-19 cases and more than 500,000 deaths. -- BERNAMA