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Starting Feb. 26, 23:59, all individuals who have travel history to Cheongdo and Daegu in South Korea in the past 14 days will not be allowed into Singapore.

They will not be allowed entry, nor transit through Singapore.

This and other measures were announced by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in light of the growing number of Covid-19 cases in South Korea.

Exceptions will be made for Singapore citizens, Permanent Residents and long-term pass holders, however, who will be given 14-day Stay-at-Home Notices (SHNs).

These do stop short of the travel measures still in place that stop all China passport holders from entering or transiting through Singapore, however — with the exception of the aforementioned groups.

Arriving travellers will be asked to declare locations visited

Singapore's immigration officers will detect these travellers by asking them to declare where in South Korea they have been if they have arrived from South Korea.

If they have stepped foot in or transited through either Cheongdo or Daegu in the past two weeks, they will be barred from entry to Singapore, unless they are:

1. Singapore Residents (both citizens and Permanent Residents), or
2. Long-term pass holders (inclusive of work passes and permits, Student's Pass, Dependent's Pass, and Long-Term Visit Pass).

Under the SHN, they will have to remain in their place of residence at all times for a 14-day period after returning to Singapore. This will kick in from Feb. 26, 2359hrs.

Expanded range of detection for potential suspect Covid-19 cases

MOH has also expanded its range of symptoms it is looking out for in narrowing down suspect Covid-19 cases in Singapore.

It is now also looking out for individuals who have been to Daegu and/or Cheongdo in the two weeks prior to coming down with pneumonia or severe respiratory infections with breathlessness. These individuals will be referred to hospitals for further assessment.

Clusters of Covid-19 infection

Daegu is the southeastern city in South Korea where a branch of a religious sect has been identified as a cluster of Covid-19 infection.

Most of South Korea's Covid-19 cases are linked to this sect, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

A hospital in Cheongdo, a South Korean county, is the place of another Covid-19 cluster.

These two places have the highest risk and beyond them there is no evidence of widespread transmission of the virus, said Lawrence Wong, co-chair of a multi-ministry taskforce set up to deal with Covid-19.

He added that Singapore will update its risk assessment of South Korea if more un-linked cases start to appear outside of Cheongdo and Daegu.

This morning's update (Feb. 25) by Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) put the number of Covid-19 infections in South Korea at 893.

MOH had previously advised Singaporeans to avoid non-essential travel to Daegu city and the Cheongdo county in view of the outbreak situation there, and also to exercise caution while travelling through the rest of South Korea.

Top image of Daegu via KoreaToday.