Coronavirus: Singapore aims for more vaccinated traveller lanes, New Zealand drops zero-Covid strategy

Trade Minister Gan Kim Yong said Singapore is in talks with several countries for vaccinated travel lanes by year-end, despite a surge in domestic cases

PM Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand will shift to living with Covid-19, with the strategy change accelerated by the Delta variant

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People wearing face masks pass in front of the Singapore central business district. The city state is aiming to open up more travel lanes by the end of the year. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:01pm, 4 Oct 2021Updated: 11:08pm, 4 Oct 2021

Singapore is looking to launch new vaccinated travel lanes by the end of the year and is in negotiations with several countries including those in Europe and also the US, Trade Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Monday, signalling continued caution even as other advanced economies open up.

Gan, who is one of the co-chairs of the government’s coronavirus task force, said they were hopeful about the travel lanes given that pilots with Germany and Brunei have gone smoothly.

“Vaccinated travel lanes are going to play an increasingly important role in international travel,” he said. “As more and more countries ramp up their vaccination rate this will become a reality because most countries will begin to insist on the vaccination before they allow travellers to enter the country.”

While Australia is moving away from Covid-zero isolation by lifting a ban on international travel earlier than anticipated, Singapore is focusing on gradually opening borders using vaccinated travel lanes and other arrangements.

At the same time, the country is grappling with a new wave of Covid-19 infections as it looks to forge a path toward reopening its small but trade-reliant economy.

Gan said Singapore needs to step up on efforts to develop vaccinated travel lanes with countries. The government “will see how we can take this one step further, but it will require both sides to discuss how the arrangement will be and what’s the process like”.