Flying to Singapore is poised to take another step back to pre-Covid normality.
Singapore is readying to take the next step in post-pandemic travel, with plans to retire the Vaccinated Travel Lane system as the country welcomes fully-vaccinated visitors from anywhere in the world.
Introduced in September 2021, the VTL scheme now extends to some 30 countries – including Australia – but the time has come to move on, says Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.
“Instead of having vaccinated travel lanes with selected countries that we think are low risk, we should actually allow (quarantine-free) travel for vaccinated travellers or fully-vaccinated travellers, from all countries.”
As to when the VTL concept will be phased out, while Ong declined to name a specific date he set a target of “after the (current) Omicron wave has peaked and started to subside.”
With signs that wave is already on the wane, Singapore could soon fall in line with many of its Asian neighbours in reaching what Transport Minister S. Iswaran described as “our ultimate goal (of) quarantine-free travel for all vaccinated travellers” so the city-state can reclaim its position as a global business and aviation hub.
On-arrival testing could also continue to be relaxed, with Ong saying “we should actually emphasise less on (quarantine) and tests on travellers, but more on ensuring they are fully vaccinated and boosted”.
Since February 22, visitors to Singapore no longer need to undergo a PCR test and isolate upon their arrival at Changi Airport, the S$125 cost of which has been seen as a major impediment to both business travel and tourism.
Instead, visitors arriving from countries which fall under the the vaccinated travel lane scheme need only take one supervised self-swab at a recognised testing centre within 24 hours of arrival. The recently-introduced regime of daily rapid-testing across the first week has also been scrapped.
In addition, passengers in transit through Changi Airport no longer need to undergo a pre-departure Covid test – and when they arrive at the Asian super-hub they’ll be free to visit lounges, shops and other attractions rater than being restricted to the lacklustre Transit Holding Area.
This bodes well for Singapore Airlines, whose extensive worldwide network is built around connecting flights at Changi, and it also presages the resumption of Qantas’ flagship Sydney-Singapore-London route, which currently relies on Darwin as a temporary stopover but will return to Singapore in June featuring the Airbus A380 superjumbo.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore explains that “in tandem with the other adjustments to travel measures, CAAS will also be removing the pre-departure test requirements for all passengers transferring or transiting through Singapore.”
“This will help reduce cost, improve convenience and enhance Singapore’s attractiveness as a transfer/transit hub.”
Visitors to Singapore will no longer need to have remained in a VTL country or counties for 14 days prior to their arrival at Changi, with that requirement slashed to seven days – making it easier to plan trips that involve hopping between several countries.
Article from ExecutiveTraveller.com
