Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Singapore allow immigrants who have vaccinated Covid-19 from eight countries entered without quarantine starting today, Tuesday (19/10).
Last month, Singapore allowed travelers from Germany and Brunei to enter without quarantine. Today, Singapore added 8 countries to the exclusion rules for the quarantine rule.
The eight countries consist of the United States, Canada, Britain, Denmark, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.
Migrants from these 10 countries are allowed to enter Singapore without quarantine on condition that they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and have a negative corona test result.
State carrier Singapore Airlines said flights from Amsterdam, London, Los Angeles and New York were scheduled to arrive today under the policy.
“We have seen very strong demand for entry into the Vaccine Travel Path scheme flights,” the airline told AFP.
“This applies to all cabin classes, as well as various travel segments, including leisure, family and business travel.”
Immigrants from South Korea will also be exempt from quarantine rules starting November 15.
Singapore has also allowed arrivals of children 12 years and under to enter without quarantine even if they have not been vaccinated as long as the children are accompanied by an adult enrolled in the scheme.
The relaxation of travel restrictions has also raised the spirit of entrepreneurs in Singapore, especially those who rely on the tourism sector.
Raj Samuel, a restaurant manager in the tourist area of Singapore, said he was optimistic about the potential for more business.
“I think this is a very good step by the state to help open up the economy, especially in the food and beverage sector,” the 36-year-old said.
Raj said he had been yearning for more guests since the pandemic raged more than a year ago.
Meanwhile, Kylie Jens, a 29-year-old lawyer from New Zealand who lives in Singapore, said she plans to go to the UK for Christmas under this scheme.
“Singapore is just a small island, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to go outside and it might happen soon,” Jens said.
The city-state initially fought the Covid-19 pandemic by closing borders, imposing closures (lockdown) with varying intensity and aggressive contact tracing.
After more than 80 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, Singapore is now looking to revive the country’s economy.
“Singapore can’t lockdown and closed indefinitely,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said earlier this month when he announced a series of strategies for welcoming the phase of coexistence with Covid-19.
The scheme could also provide opportunities for the aviation and tourism industries hit by the pandemic, analysts said.
Prior to the pandemic, tourism accounted for about five percent of Singapore’s GDP, said Song Seng Wun, regional economist at CIMB Private Banking.
“Singapore used to receive 1.6 million tourists every month, our airport used to handle more than a thousand flights a day before the pandemic. Now it’s just over 300 flights a day,” he said.
Statistics from Singapore’s tourism board show international visitor arrivals fell to less than 2.8 million last year. In fact, Singapore set a record by receiving 19.1 million tourists in 2019.
(rds)
– .
