In the addenda to the President's Address, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the Safe Travel Office (STO) to function as a single point of contact for all travellers, as some travel resumes in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The STO, which will be under the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), will also provide coordination across the different agencies involved in the various travel schemes.

Part of Singapore's efforts to re-open borders

The opening of the STO is aligned with Singapore's recent efforts to re-open travel with other countries.

With the local community transmission situation stabilising, the government is taking steps to gradually re-open Singapore's borders through various travel schemes with other countries.

On Aug. 10, applications for the two schemes facilitating cross-border travel between Singapore and Malaysia opened. Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam said:

"The STO will make for an easier and smoother traveller experience."

The Multi-Ministry Taskforce also announced on Aug. 21 that Singapore will be lifting its border restrictions, allowing general travel to Brunei and New Zealand.

However, Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung said that the lifting of restrictions will only be unilateral at the moment.

For example, New Zealand's border is still closed to almost all travellers. Only New Zealand citizens are able to enter the country without having to seek approval.

A spokesperson for New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that changes for New Zealand's travel advisory will still need to be reviewed in response to "international developments".

Formation of Gambling Regulatory Authority

In the addenda, MHA also announced its intentions to strengthen Singapore's legislation and regulatory regimes.

MHA emphasised that they will be amending gambling related legislations in Singapore.

The current Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) will be reconstituted to form the new Gambling Regulatory Authority, which will have the expanded mandate to regulate the entire gambling landscape in Singapore.

MHA had originally announced on Apr. 3 that they will be reviewing and amending these regulations by 2021.

Currently, gambling regulation is overseen by various agencies, including the CRA, the Gambling Regulatory Unit in MHA, and the Singapore Totalisator Board.

The creation of the GRA will allow gambling regulatory resources to be handled by a single agency.

Top image by Lemjay Lucas Photography on Facebook.