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All travellers entering Singapore will be tested as part of a host of new precautionary measures announced that will kick in starting Wednesday, June 17, at 11:59pm, Singapore's Ministry of Health announced on Monday, June 15.

Mandatory testing (S$200) for all inbound travellers, & SHN at govt facilities (S$2,000) for non-S'porean/PRs

These arriving travellers, regardless of citizenship status, will all be required to bear the up to S$200 cost of their Covid-19 swab tests, which will be done a few days before the end of a mandatory 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) period at a designated community testing facility.

Individuals will be notified of their test appointments via SMS, and are required to avoid public transport in travelling to and from their testing locations.

In addition, those arriving here from June 17, 11:59pm onwards who are not Singaporeans or Permanent Residents will have to bear the cost of their SHN periods (S$2,000 inclusive of GST) if they are required to spend them at government-designated facilities.

Given the risks of asymptomatic cases, this measure is all the more necessary, the ministry said.

The 14-day SHN period rule has been in place for all inbound travellers who are Singaporean, PRs and long-term pass holders here since March 21.

The authorities will monitor the results of the tests and may make adjustments to the testing requirements over time.

Exceptions to self-pay SHN requirement: Arrivals from Australia, Brunei, HK, Japan, Macao, China, NZ, S. Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam

There are exceptions to the rule of having to spend one's SHN period at a designated facility at personal cost, however.

All travellers entering Singapore from Wednesday, June 17, 11:59pm, and who were in Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Mainland China, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam in the last consecutive 14 days prior to their entry, will no longer have to serve their SHN at dedicated SHN facilities:

• Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents may serve their 14-day SHN at their place of residence.
• Long Term Pass holders may serve their 14-day SHN at a place of residence that they or their family members own or are sole tenants of, or in suitable accommodation such as a hotel, at their own cost.

All serving SHN to adhere strictly to requirements

Here's what won't change, though: all persons serving SHN must remain in their location of residence at all times.

They will continue to be subject to close monitoring of their whereabouts, through electronic monitoring as well as physical spot-checks.

Strict enforcement action will be taken against those who breach the requirements of the SHN.

Singapore to facilitate re-entry of more Long Term Pass holders in coming weeks

Notwithstanding the above changes, all Long Term Pass holders will continue to require prior government approval before entering Singapore.

As the global and local health situations improve, the government has gradually increased the number of entry approvals given to Long Term Pass holders, especially those with deep roots to Singapore or have exigent circumstances.

The government says it expects to be able to facilitate the re-entry of more Long Term Pass holders in the coming weeks.

They will also study how to facilitate business travel, in particular for professionals based in Singapore who need to travel frequently as part of their work, with the necessary safeguards.

No short-term visitors allowed yet

But for now, the government is not yet allowing short-term visitors, except those coming in under the Green / Fast Lane arrangements (starting with China, and eventually covering more countries/regions), or with special prior approval.

Charges for Covid-19 test & stay at designated SHN facility

Just to recap, here are the charges for Covid-19 swab tests and for 14-day stays at the dedicated SHN facilities:

Covid-19 test for persons under SHN 

• Up to S$200 (inclusive of GST)

14-day stay at dedicated SHN facility 

• S$2,000 (inclusive of GST)

Here are the measures for inbound travellers laid out in a table:

All living in Singapore advised to defer all travel abroad

All Singaporeans and residents of Singapore are still advised to defer all travel abroad, however.

But essential business and official travel will be permitted under Green and Fast Lane arrangements.

MOH encourages everyone to check its website for the latest Covid-19 updates, as Singapore’s border measures are likely to evolve with the changes in the global situation.

Here's everything else you need to know about Phase 2 of Singapore's reopening:

Top image via Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images