Singapore to open its borders to Visitors from Taiwan Next Week
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAAS) on Friday (Dec 11) announced that Singapore has agreed to lift the border restrictions and mandatory isolation for visitors from Taiwan effective next week on December 18.
The authority has said in a press release that travelers from Taiwan can now apply for a single-entry Air Travel Pass (ATP) to enter into Singapore from next Friday. In addition, they are required to be staying in Taiwan for 14 consecutive days prior to their scheduled departure.
Upon arrival at the airport in Singapore, visitors will require undergoing a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and if the test result shows as negative, they will be allowed to conduct their activities in Singapore without a requirement of providing stay home notice (SHN).
As part of the contract tracing process, Taiwanese visitors are required to download and sign up for the TraceTogether app on their mobile devices before entering into Singapore and keep it enabled while in the country. They should not delete the app for 14 consecutive days after the departure from Singapore.
Starting December 18, Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders returning from Taiwan will also undergo a PCR test upon arrival in Singapore, said the CAAS in its release.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAAS) has also informed that visitors from Taiwan will also be responsible for their COVID-19 related health bills during their stay in Singapore.
The opening is unilateral because restrictions in Taiwan are still in place, with the ban on leisure and social visits by international travelers. Taiwan is the sixth country where Singapore has unilaterally opened its borders to, after Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Australia, Mainland China and New Zealand. The CAAS will also update the Singapore travel advisory to accommodate travel to Taiwan.
As of December 10, around 4,050 travelers from these countries have arrived in Singapore, and no passengers under the ATP program have tested positive for the COVID-19 upon arrival. The Civil Aviation Authority has given approval more than 9,250 ATP applications.
In regard to the COVID-19 transmission in Singapore, the country has reported a total number of 58,305 confirmed cases which are under treatment and 29 patients have died due to the virus. However, 58,188 patients who tested positive to COVID-19 have completely recovered from the virus, as of Friday (Dec 11).
