Singapore to relax border controls for visitors from Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

12/11/2020 07:27 PM

Singapore, Dec. 11 (CNA) From Dec. 18, visitors from Taiwan to Singapore will be exempt from quarantine as long as they are given a COVID-19 test upon arrival and the result comes back negative, Singapore's aviation authority said Friday.

Travelers from Taiwan can now apply for a single-entry Air Travel Pass to enter Singapore, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement, adding that they must have been in Taiwan for 14 consecutive days prior to their entry to the Southeast Asian city-state.

Upon arrival at the airport, travelers from Taiwan will be required to undergo a COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test and will be allowed to go about their activities in Singapore without having to go into quarantine, if the result comes back negative, the agency said.

To facilitate the contact tracing process, all visitors must download and register for the TraceTogether app developed by Singapore authorities on their mobile devices prior to departing for the country, keep it activated during their stay here, the CAAS noted.

If visitors test positive, they will be required to cover their COVID-19-related medical bills while in Singapore, which includes costs related to tests and isolation, as well as medical treatment for COVID-19, the CAAS said.

The CAAS said that "Taiwan has a comprehensive public health surveillance system and has displayed successful control over the spread of the COVID-19 virus."

This is not the first time Singapore has relaxed COVID-19 restrictions for travelers from Taiwan due to Taiwan's successful control.

Since Sept. 1, the quarantine period for visitors from Taiwan who have remained there for the last consecutive 14 days prior to entry has been shortened from the usual 14 days to a period of seven days.

From Sept. 1 to Dec. 10, the CAAS has approved a total of 9,284 entry applications by visitors from Taiwan and 4,050 applicants entered Singapore, the agency said.

No travelers from Taiwan have tested positive for COVID-19 since Sept. 1, the CAAS said, citing data as of Dec. 9.

(By Elaine Hou and Chung Yu-chen)

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