All travellers to Singapore from Malaysia, Japan to serve COVID-19 stay-home notice at dedicated facilities

SINGAPORE: From 11.59pm on Sunday (Nov 22), all travellers entering Singapore from Malaysia or Japan will have to serve a 14-day stay-home notice period at dedicated facilities, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday.

"The multi-ministry task force has been closely monitoring the global COVID-19 situation and will be tightening border measures given the resurgence of cases in Malaysia and Japan," said the ministry.

The new measures will apply to all travellers who have a travel history in the past 14 days to either of the two countries. 

In addition, all travellers, except Singapore citizens and permanent residents, entering Singapore from 11.59pm on Nov 27 who have a travel history in the past 14 days to Malaysia will be required to take a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within 72 hours before departure.

READ: Singapore to require all foreign inbound travellers from high-risk countries to take pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test

TRAVELLERS FROM MALAYSIA

The Government announced earlier this year that travellers from Malaysia, excluding Sabah, are allowed to serve a seven-day stay-home notice at their place of residence. Those who travelled to Sabah are required to serve a 14-day stay-home notice at dedicated facilities.

"Given the sharp increase in cases in Malaysia recently, all travellers entering Singapore from Nov 22, 11.59pm who have a travel history (including transit) in the past 14 days to Malaysia will be required to serve a 14-day stay-home notice at dedicated ... facilities," said MOH.

"This also applies to travellers entering Singapore to work under the Periodic Commuting Arrangement and returning Singapore-based travellers under the Singapore – Malaysia Reciprocal Green Lane."

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Travellers who need to take a PCR test will have to present a valid negative COVID-19 test result as a condition of approval to enter Singapore, MOH said.

This requirement will not apply for returning Singapore-based travellers under the Singapore-Malaysia Reciprocal Green Lane.

TRAVELLERS FROM JAPAN

Those arriving in Singapore from 11.59pm on Sunday with travel history to Japan over the past 14 days would also have to serve a 14-day stay-home notice at dedicated facilities. 

The Government announced on Oct 27 that travellers from Japan were allowed to opt out of serving their 14-day stay-home notice at dedicated facilities if they had found a suitable place of residence.

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"These travellers will no longer be able to opt out of dedicated stay-home notice facilities and serve their 14-day stay-home notice at their place of residence, even if they have obtained approval to opt out earlier," MOH said. 

The new requirement also applies to returning Singapore-based travellers under the Singapore-Japan Reciprocal Green Lane.

STAY-HOME NOTICE AT PLACE OF RESIDENCE

Travellers from Fiji, Finland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey would continue to be allowed to serve their 14-day stay-home notice period at their place of residence if they fulfil the following criteria:

- They have travelled to no other country or region other than those mentioned above as well as Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China, New Zealand, Taiwan and Vietnam, in the last consecutive 14 days prior to entry, and

- They live alone, or are only staying with household members who are also serving the stay-home notice with the same duration and same travel history

As the global situation evolves, MOH said it would continue to adjust Singapore's border measures to manage the risk of importation and transmission to the community.

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