COVID-19: Visitors with travel history to Estonia, Norway to serve stay-home notice at dedicated facilities

SINGAPORE: Visitors entering Singapore from 11.59pm on Sunday (Nov 8) with travel history in the past 14 days to Estonia or Norway will be required to serve their stay-home notice period at dedicated facilities.

This is due to a “sharp increase” in the number of COVID-19 cases in Estonia and Norway in the past week, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday.

READ: 4 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, all imported

Those who have travel history to Estonia and Norway will have to serve their 14-day stay-home notice at dedicated facilities even if they have obtained approval earlier to opt out of doing so.

MOH announced on Oct 27 that those coming from the two countries will be allowed to serve their stay-home notice at a suitable place of residence when they arrive in Singapore.

Norway Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Thursday told Norwegians to stay home as much as possible, after tightening restrictions on gatherings last week. The country recorded 3,118 new COVID-19 cases last week, up from the 1,718 cases the week before, Reuters reported.

Estonia on Friday reported 241 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, according to its health ministry website. 

TRAVELLERS FROM SOME COUNTRIES, REGIONS ALLOWED TO APPLY TO OPT OUT

Travellers from Fiji, Finland, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey are still allowed to apply to opt out of dedicated facilities and serve their stay-home notice period at their place of residence if they meet the following requirements:

– Travelled to no other country or region other than those mentioned above, as well as Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China, Malaysia (excluding Sabah), New Zealand, Taiwan and Vietnam in the last 14 consecutive days prior to entry.

– Are occupying their place of residence alone or only with household members who are also people serving stay-home notices with the same travel history and duration of the notice.

COVID-19 tests will still be administered before the end of the stay-home notice period, MOH said.

READ: COVID-19: Singapore to lift border restrictions for visitors from mainland China and Australia's Victoria state from Nov 6

"All travellers are reminded to accurately declare their travel history. Strict enforcement actions will be taken against false declarations," said MOH.

"As the global situation evolves, we will continue to adjust our border measures to manage the risk of importation and transmission to the community," the ministry added.

Travellers are advised to check the Safe Travel Office website for the most updated border measures before entering Singapore. They should be prepared to be subjected to prevailing border measures upon entry, including payment for their stay at dedicated facilities, tests and treatment, said MOH.

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