US raises Covid-19 danger level for S'pore & Hong Kong

The US suggested that unvaccinated travellers should avoid nonessential travel to Singapore.

Low Jia Ying | September 28, 2021, 12:40 PM

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The United States has raised its Covid-19 danger level by one notch for both Singapore and Hong Kong on Monday (Sep. 27), according to Bloomberg.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised Singapore's danger level from "Moderate" to "High", and suggested that unvaccinated travellers should "avoid nonessential travel" to Singapore.

"High level" of Covid-19 in Singapore

The CDC categorises countries into four Covid-19 danger levels.

Singapore was previously categorised at level 2, which denotes a "moderate level" of Covid-19 in the country.

The U.S. has now upped Singapore's danger level by one notch, placing it at level 3, warning that there is a "high level" of Covid-19 in Singapore.

The CDC advises that travellers should be fully vaccinated before going to Singapore.

It added that "because of the current situation in Singapore, all travellers may be at risk for getting and spreading Covid-19 variants".

Singapore has reported more than 1,000 daily cases since mid-September, its largest outbreak since April 2020.

"Moderate level" of Covid-19 in Hong Kong

Hong Kong was also moved up a notch from a "low" to "moderate" danger level for Covid-19.

The CDC advises that unvaccinated travellers who are at risk of severe illness from Covid-19 should avoid making nonessential trips to Hong Kong.

Bloomberg reported that while Singapore's advisory makes sense due to its increased caseload, Hong Kong's heightened danger level is "puzzling".

Hong Kong has had fewer than 10 daily cases since mid-August and has also yet to experience an outbreak of the delta variant.

On the other hand, Bloomberg pointed out that the U.S. itself is in the midst of a resurgence of cases, reporting over 180,000 cases and more than 2,700 deaths on Friday (Sep. 24).

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Top photo via Zhangxin Zheng