Over 18,200 Visitors on Air Travel Pass Have Entered S’pore Via Unilateral Border Openings

While most of us remain stuck at home fantasising about our next overseas getaway, we’ve been receiving visitors from all over the world. 

Over 18,200 Visitors on Air Travel Pass Have Entered S’pore Via Unilateral Border Openings

More than 18,200 visitors have come into Singapore on an Air Travel Pass. These visitors include around 2,400 travellers from Australia, 800 from Brunei, and 12,800 from mainland China. 

In response to CNA, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said that there were also 300 Air Travel Pass visitors from New Zealand, 800 from Taiwan and 1,100 from Vietnam. 

The Air Travel Pass allows for short-term travellers to come into Singapore for leisure, with no restrictions placed upon their itineraries. 

They are free to roam around in Singapore, unlike the reciprocal green lanes between countries which are strictly for essential travel or business purposes only. 

Currently, the Air Travel Pass is open to Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Mainland China, New Zealand and Taiwan. 

These places were selected based on their level of risk of importation and their ability to control the rates of COVID-19 infection in their own countries. 

Those who enter Singapore via the Air Travel Pass have to take a COVID-19 PCR test when they arrive. They will then be transported to their accommodation and will undergo self-isolation while waiting for their test results. 

The Air Travel Pass was first announced on 21 August 2020. The Ministry of Health said that they would omit Stay-Home Notice (SHN) requirements for travellers coming in from Brunei and New Zealand, since they were considered to be low-risk locations. 

Australia, Vietnam & China

On 30 September 2020, it was announced that Australia (with the exclusion of Victoria state, which was facing a sharp increase in infections) and Vietnam would be added to the list from 8 October onwards. 

According to the CAAS, both Australia and Vietnam had managed to control the spread of the virus and presented a low risk of importation to Singapore. 

Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung told Parliament on 6 October that the risk brought to Singapore by a traveller from these places was  “no higher than that of a Singapore resident coming from Jurong or Sembawang”. 

Finally, it was announced on 29 October 2020 that CAAS would include mainland China and Australia’s Victoria state from 6 November 2020 onwards, while Taiwan was included from 18 December 2020. 

The UK allows Singaporeans to travel there without being quarantined. However, Singapore has not opened up its borders to the UK due to their COVID-19 incidence rate. 

Vietnam was removed from the list on 9 February 2021 due to a spike in cases.

Featured Image: Tang Yan Song / Shutterstock.com