Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents and Long Term Pass holders returning from ASEAN countries, France, India and Switzerland will be required to serve a 14-day self-isolation at dedicated Stay-Home Notice (SHN) facilities.

This will take effect from Apr. 5, 2020, 11:59pm.

This is an expansion of a previous announcement on Mar. 26, where hotel rooms, transport from the airport to hotels, and meals were provided for returning Singapore residents from the UK and the U.S.

Not enough dedicated facilities to accommodate all overseas returnees

According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), such dedicated SHN facilities take time to prepare, and there are not enough at present to accomodate all overseas returnees.

"The dedicated SHN facilities are not just about the provision of hotel rooms. We also work with the hotel operators to provide training for their staff, and to put in place proper security arrangements, as well as infection control and precautions," said MOH.

Therefore, based on current capacity, returnees from these countries will be prioritised for such facilities.

MOH said that these countries were chosen based on their assessment of risks and the history of imported cases in Singapore.

For those who are coming back from other countries, they can serve their 14-day SHN at their place of residence.

This arrangement will continue to apply to returnees from the UK and the U.S.

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