On Friday (Dec. 11), the Multi-Ministry Taskforce announced that it will be tightening border measures for travellers with travel history from Hong Kong, due to the deteriorating situation there.

Starting from 11:59pm on Dec. 13, all travellers entering Singapore who have a travel history in the past 14 days to Hong Kong will be required to serve a 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) at dedicated facilities.

In addition, from 11:59pm on Dec. 18, all travellers who are not Singaporean citizens and permanent residents (PRs) with travel history in the past 14 days to Hong Kong will be required to take a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) within 72 hours before departure.

14-day SHN at dedicated facilities

All travellers entering Singapore from Dec. 13 at 11:59pm with a travel history — including transit — in the past 14 days to Hong Kong will be required to serve their 14-day SHN at dedicated SHN facilities.

This announcement comes three weeks after the announcement of the deferral of the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble.

Previously in October, the Multi-Ministry Taskforce had announced that travellers from Hong Kong are allowed to serve a 7-day SHN at their place of residence, as the situation in Hong Kong had improved.

On Dec. 10, Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health confirmed an additional 112 cases of Covid-19.

A total of 1,313 cases were recorded in the 14-day period between Nov. 26 and Dec. 9, 1,214 of which were local cases, and 332 of which were from unknown sources.

Travellers from Fiji, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and now Hong Kong are allowed to opt out of dedicated SHN facilities and serve their 14-day SHN at their place of residence, if they fulfil the following criteria:

• Travelled to no other country or region than those mentioned above, in the last consecutive 14 days prior to entry, and
• Are occupying their place of residence alone, or only with household members who are also serving SHN with the same travel history and duration of SHN

Those serving their SHN will continue to be tested for Covid-19 before the end of the SHN.

Must present negative Covid-19 test prior to entering Singapore

In addition, starting on Dec. 18, from 11:59pm, all travellers with travel history to Hong Kong in the 14 days prior to entry to Singapore will be required to take a Covid-19 PCR test within 72 hours before their departure.

Singapore citizens and PRs are excluded from this requirement.

Travellers need to present a valid negative Covid-19 test result as a condition of approval to enter Singapore.

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Top photos via Ruslan Bardash and chuttersnap on Unsplash.