Zhi Hao, Author at Goody Feed

For a long time, we’ve been deprived of an essential human right: The freedom to… travel. Though it was a necessary and understandable prohibition, it was still a grating notion. Singapore is, after all, only that big. Yes folks, vaccinated travel lanes are officially a thing, and here are nine facts would you need to know about them. What Are the Vaccinated Travel Lanes? It was recently announced that fully vaccinated travellers will now be able to fly in and out of Singapore to specific countries, without the need for quarantine. Fewer swab tests will also be adopted. Travellers to Singapore will also need to undergo just two tests: a pre-departure test 48 hours before one's flight as well as an on-arrival test. Eligible travellers must, however, have stayed in one (or more) of the designated Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) countries in the 14 days before they leave for Singapore. Applicable Countries From 19 October 2021, fully vaccinated travellers from the following countries will be able to fly in to Singapore: Canada Denmark France Italy Netherlands Spain Britain United States Meanwhile, the same will apply to South Korea from 15 November 2021. These nine countries will join the current two on Singapore's roster, Germany and Brunei. Meanwhile, nearly all the mentioned countries have already opened their borders to Singapore or will be opening soon. Brunei, however, remains closed off to leisure travel. State Of Nations At this stage, travel is a sheer luxury. It is, after all, not without risk. As such, here's a rough breakdown of each (new) VTL country's current state. South Korea Around 2,000 cases are being reported daily, and there have been 2,575 deaths as of 10 October 2021. 59.1 % of the population has been fully vaccinated as of 10 October 2021. Travellers from Singapore will have to undergo a pre-departure PCR test within three days (72 hours) of the departure date. United States A seven-day average of 99,795 cases was reported recently, and there have been 712,972 deaths as of 10 October 2021. 55.6% of the population has been fully vaccinated as of 10 October 2021. Travellers to the US will need to test negative for either a PCR or ART test three days before departure. Alternatively, they can show proof that they have recovered from COVID-19. Canada A seven-day average of 3,981 cases was reportedly recently, and there have been 28,246 deaths as of 10 October 2021. 72% of the population has been fully vaccinated as of 10 October 2021. Fully vaccinated travellers will need to undergo pre-departure molecular tests 72 hours before departure. Britain A seven-day average of 34,348 cases was reportedly recently, and there have been 138,101 deaths as of 10 October 2021. 66.2% of the population has been fully vaccinated as of 10 October 2021. No pre-departure tests are needed for travellers from Singapore, though one test will be needed on the second day of arrival. France A seven-day average of 5,194 cases was reported recently, and there have been 117,915 deaths as of 10 October 2021. 66.5% of the population has been fully vaccinated as of 10 October 2021. Fully vaccinated travellers do not need to do a pre-departure PCR test. Italy A seven-day average of 2,845 cases was reported recently. There have been 131,274 deaths as of 10 October 2021. 69% of the population has been fully vaccinated as of 10 October 2021. Travellers from Singapore would have to do a Passenger Locator Form online beforehand. They would then need to take either a PCR or ART test 72 hours before arrival in Italy, and show a negative result. They would also need proof of vaccination. Hence, they can then avoid a five-day quarantine. Netherlands A seven-day average of 1,946 cases was reported recently, and there have been 18,629 deaths as of 10 October 2021. 67.6% of the population has been fully vaccinated as of 10 October 2021. Vaccinated travellers do not need to take pre-departure tests or undergo quarantine. Denmark A seven-day average of 480 cases was reported recently, and there have been 2,671 deaths as of 10 October 2021. 75.4% of the population has been fully vaccinated as of 10 October 2021. Vaccinated travellers from Singapore do not need to take virus tests, but unvaccinated travellers will need to take a pre-departure COVID-19 test as well as a free test on arrival. Spain A seven-day average of 1,745 cases was reported recently, and there have been 86,778 deaths as of 10 October 2021. 78.7% of the population has been fully vaccinated as of 10 October 2021. Travellers from Singapore do not need vaccination or quarantine to head to Spain. Under The Age Of 12 Children aged 12 or below will also be allowed to take the VTL. This is applicable regardless of their vaccination status. They will, however, need to take two PCR tests, pre-departure and on arrival, if they're departing for Singapore. The only exceptions are those aged two and below. They must also be accompanied by at least one fully vaccinated traveller. For the record, the age of the child will be decided based on the calendar year. Those born in or after 2009 will be deemed eligible in 2021. Countries That Have Restricted Unvaccinated Children At the current moment, that are two VTL countries that disallow the entry of unqualified children. They are Brunei and South Korea. The former has ruled out leisure travel, while South Korea has barred those who're either medically unfit for vaccination, or children who do not qualify for vaccination. Upcoming Travel Lanes (?) It also seems that Singapore is not done just yet. Apparently, the lion city has also expressed interest in working with its regional neighbours such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Transport Minister S. Iswaran expressed the city's interest in the three countries, and acknowledged that they would like to establish a lane with other nations as well. No Significant Increase In Risk With as many as 3,000 people set to enter Singapore daily after the expansion of VTL lanes, it stands to reason that the risk will increase. By a lot. Yet, Minister S. Iswaran has stated that there won't be a significant increase in risk. To prove his point, he indicated the nation's current initiative with Germany and Brunei. In the first month, only two infected travellers sprung from 3,000 people. More Inquiries And lest you're sceptical, travel inquiries are already on the rise. Indeed, a surge in interest for travelling has caused even the Singapore Airlines website to "lag." At one point, the website even crashed. And on 11 October 2021, the share price for the airline company increased by as much as 9.6%. The share price for SATS increased as well, by a respectable 6.5%. Elsewhere, the likes of Chan Brothers Travel has also seen a spike in travel inquiries: by as much as five times more. Three To Six Months To Stabilise Meanwhile, the expansion comes amid a move to establish the COVID-19 as the new "normal." On 9 October 2021, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the "new normal" is anywhere between three and six months away. Singaporeans would also know when the "new normal" has arrived, as restrictions would have been eased. Individuals can also resume their daily activities without feeling worried. However, daily cases may still be in the hundreds by then. 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