SINGAPORE, Feb 17 (BNA) – Singapore’s Ministry of Health said on Wednesday it will expand quarantine-free travel to Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates this month, resuming the reopening of borders after a halt due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Reuters reports that the city-state will restore and increase quotas under the pollinator travel programme, which was scaled back in December to deal with the Omicron variant.
The ministry said Singapore will simplify border procedures for all travelers and abolish the entry approval requirement for eligible residents with long-term permits, making it easier for expats to travel.
However, some foreign workers with different permits who typically work in sectors such as construction and manufacturing will still need entry approval.
The authorities said that the country eventually intends to abolish the immune travel corridors for visitors from designated countries to allow entry to all vaccinated visitors without quarantine.
There are about twenty countries in the Vaccinated Travel Corridor program including Australia, India, Malaysia, Britain and the United States. The new track with Hong Kong is unilateral.
Singapore reported 19,179 local coronavirus infections on Tuesday, but the majority of cases had mild or no symptoms. The government said the number of cases was within expectations and that the overall situation in the health care system remained stable.
MI