Everything About the New Border Control Whereby Returning S’poreans & PRs Need to Be Tested Before Arrival

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, you’d have known that Singapore isn’t having a great time with COVID-19 right now.

The re-entry into Phase One took Singapore by storm, resulting in massive damages to supermarkets’ shelves.

That wasn’t the only change either, as you’ll find out in the article to come.

New Border Control Measure

Previously, even when Singapore was detecting hundreds of new COVID-19 cases every day, the Ministry of Health (MOH) proclaims that Singaporeans and PRs returning home do not need to test negative for COVID-19.

Why? Because they don’t want to make it difficult for their own people to come home, especially if the situation overboard is awkward like this.

On 29 May 2021 at 11:59 pm, however, that’ll change.

Singaporeans and PRs returning to Singapore from overseas will be required to submit negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results before they’ll be allowed to board the ferry or aeroplane.

The Process

The test must be taken within 72 hours before leaving for Singapore, so for those thinking of getting a pass with test results dated months before, you can perish that thought.

The test results must be shown once more upon arrival in Singapore before taking another PCR test and serving a 21-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN).

There are, however, exceptions to the new measure.

Exceptions

According to MOH, the new stepped-up measure excludes people who stayed in lower-risk countries for 21 days before coming into Singapore.

Countries include:

• Australia
• Brunei
• mainland China
• Hong Kong
• Macau
• New Zealand

For these travellers, they only need to take a PCR test in lieu of SHN or serve a 7-day SHN and be tested at the end of the period.

Consequences

By now, there’ll probably be people thinking: what if I don’t care and just returned anyway?

Travellers who return to Singapore without a valid negative PCR test could be refused entry.

For PRs and long-term pass holders, they might even have their permit or pass cancelled.

However, that doesn’t mean that Singaporeans are abandoned outside the nation.

Those who are infected and in need of urgent medical attention in Singapore, can still be conveyed into the country to seek medical treatment via medical evacuation flights, or other similar modes of transports.

Other Stepped Up Measures

The valid PCR test wasn’t the only tightened restriction to be implemented at the borders.

In recent days, the government has also extended the mandatory SHN period to 21 days from 14 days.

Singapore has also stopped accepting new entry applications for the work permit from high-risk areas.

So, the question of the day is this: Have you downloaded the TraceTogether app yet?

For those interested, you can read this article to find out the latest COVID-19 situation in Singapore.

Feature Image: aslysun / Shutterstock.com