Image source, Getty Images
—
A tourist at Changi Airport.
–
After 21 months the Singapore border was practically closed, the city-state’s citizens flocked to book airline tickets abroad. However, they cannot go to Indonesia according to government regulations announced by the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment and the Coordinator of the Java-Bali PPKM, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.
–
Starting 19 October, Singaporeans will be able to freely travel to 10 countries without having to undergo quarantine and with fewer PCR tests, as long as they have been vaccinated. Then starting November 15, South Korea will be added to the list of countries that can be visited.
–
“Just being at home drives us crazy. There’s no difference between relaxing and working,” Low Ka Wei, a head of corporate communications at a company, told the BBC.
–
After the regulations for traveling abroad were announced, the demand for airline tickets soared so much that a number of travel sites stopped working.down‘.
–
In fact, the Singapore Airlines website also had time todown‘ over the past weekend sparking a buzz on social media. One Reddit user, for example, asked: “Have we collectively damaged the SIA site?”
–
Unable to access these sites, Low and many other Singaporeans went the old way: lining up for hours outside airline offices to book plane tickets.
–
However, now the Singapore Airlines website can be accessed properly.
–
—
–
Stuck in Singapore
The closure of Singapore’s border gates for the past 21 months has been a complaint of many local residents. The same applies to the rules for preventing the spread of Covid in the country.
–
Although Singapore’s vaccination rate has reached 83%, the government recently re-imposed a string of restrictions so that only two people can gather in public places.
–
The move came as a surprise to some, as the Singapore government had previously said it would abandon its ‘zero Covid’ strategy and adopt a policy of coexistence with the coronavirus.
–
Another surprising thing was the change in travel rules, two days after it was announced. Under the new rules, children under the age of 12 can participate.
–
“I’m glad we’ve decided to go one way, and I’m relieved we stick with that decision,” Low said.
–
“It’s important to show that resilience to the global community and citizens – having a policy direction helps and after that we just have to manage expectations going forward.”
–
The changing policies have prompted some netizens to create memes on the internet.
–
—
–
Image source, FY Names
—
–
Singapore stretches for 50km from east to west and for some, the lack of domestic travel options goes awry.
–
“The pandemic made me really appreciate what we have in Singapore,” said Kristel Quek, co-founder start-up cryptocurrency.
–
“There are shady trees and every weekend I try something new. But I am a little annoyed to see on the internet that friends in England, Italy and Spain can have a summer vacation, while I am stuck here,” he explained.
–
Image source, Getty Images
—
Singaporeans are still free to meet with family and hang out with two people outdoors.
–
‘Oppressing people’
Many foreigners choose to live in Singapore because they think there are various opportunities to travel in the Southeast Asian region. Because of this, not a few are frustrated with border controls that restrict travel abroad.
–
Indeed, Singaporeans and permanent residents can go abroad and return to Singapore, but must undergo quarantine for two weeks. This makes many do not want to go abroad at all.
–
Then there are also foreigners who have no choice to go abroad. They were forced to apply for re-entry permits, but most were refused. As a result, non-citizens and non-residents are trapped inside Singapore.
–
“I feel the way the government manages [aturan terkait Covid] very oppressive to people,” said Christophe Blanc, a French gym instructor who works in Singapore. “They think collectively, not individually. It’s not bad or good, but for me it’s very frustrating and stifling.”
–
Image source, Getty Images
—
Migrant workers must get permission from their boss before leaving the hostel
–
Then, do Singaporeans agree that governance to prevent the transmission of Covid is unfair?
–
“I’m not sure if there’s a difference. Yes, re-entry permits do make outsiders feel alienated. But the hawker center rules that don’t allow people who haven’t been vaccinated are not like that,” said Quek.
–
Recently Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stated that “we must press ahead with the ‘Living with Covid-19’ strategy”
–
“What steps should we take next? First, and most fundamentally, we need to update our mindset. We must respect Covid-19, but we must not be paralyzed by fear.”
–
At the same time, a list of countries can be visited by Singaporeans and residents.
–
Indonesia is not on the list.
–
On the other hand, on Monday (11/10), the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, said that Singapore was not included in the list of 18 countries whose citizens were allowed to enter Indonesia.
–
The reason, according to Luhut, Singapore has not met the standards of level 1 and 2 in accordance with WHO provisions.
–
“There are 18 countries that will be announced, I think Singapore has not been included because it has not met the requirements or standards for level 1, level 2 according to WHO,” he was quoted as saying by the news agency. Between.
–
Image source, SONY TUMBELAKA/AFP
—
Local tourists at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali, October 9, 2021.
–
However, not everyone in Singapore is in a hurry to go abroad.
–
“I think a lot of people are still worried about numbers [kasus Covid]. This month there are 3,000 cases and I think a lot of people want a zero Covid approach,” said Phik See, head of operations for a company.
–
Some people claim to be waiting for neighboring countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, to be included in the list of countries that can be visited.
–
