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Stay-Home Notices (SHNs) have become the norm for travellers arriving in Singapore.
Being confined in a small space for an extended period of time has driven some to respond in creative ways:
Alyne Tamir, girlfriend of Nuseir Yassin, also known as Nas Daily, posted on Instagram in response to her own SHN, taking issue with the requirement.
"Unnecessary mandated quarantine"
Alyne, who is also an online content creator, posted videos showing her recent travels to Abu Dhabi and the Maldives on her social media channels.
In an Instagram post dated Aug. 19, Alyne said that she was currently in "a two week quarantine" in a location near her house.
She and Nuseir have been residing in Singapore since announcing their move last March.
Then on Aug. 26, Alyne posted what appears to be a screenshot of a text message informing her of a negative Covid-19 test result, adding remarks that her 14-day SHN was an "unnecessary mandated quarantine".
"Because they want money for the hotel"
"I know they make us stay at hotels to support the economy and because some people will actually break the rules and leave their home", she wrote.
A message, apparently from her direct messages, which was likely in response to her stories, offered the explanation "because they want money for the hotel".
Alyne's reply: "EXACTLY HAHAH".
She also shared screenshots of another message from her DMs which seemed to question the requirement for those under SHN to complete their isolation before being allowed to leave their SHN venue.
It read:
"It's all really silly. Why to wait if negative. We discharge patients from hospital with one negative test. I hope we get a vaccine soon so that all this chaos ends!!!!"
Alyne did not take issue with the requirement to be isolated, however, implying that she could have isolated herself in her house, which she said was just across the road from where she was serving her SHN, and had been left empty.
She also highlighted the fact that she had tested negative for Covid-19.
SHN requirement
The requirement for travellers to serve a 14-day SHN in dedicated facilities was first introduced from Mar. 26, for those arriving from the U.K. and U.S., and was to prevent imported cases from infecting their families and triggering community spread.
It became a requirement for all returning Singapore residents to serve a 14-day SHN in dedicated facilities from Apr. 9, 2020, in light of increased capacity at these facilities.
It was then announced on Apr. 8 that those choosing to disregard prevailing travel advisories and leave Singapore from Mar. 27 would be required to bear the cost of their stay.
This requirement has since been eased from June 17, allowing travellers from specified countries or regions to serve the SHN at home instead, with electronic monitoring devices to ensure compliance.
Victoria, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and most recently, South Korea, were removed from that list, meaning that travellers from those locations can no longer serve their SHN at home, and must do so at dedicated facilities.
Top image via @dearalyne on Instagram
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