Singapore-China ‘travel bubble’ to open with swab tests, contact tracing and strict itineraries
- The arrangement for businesspeople and officials encompasses Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and the city state
- It will reduce lengthy quarantine times for businesspeople and officials, but require that they gain pre-approval and submit to multiple checks
Travellers will also need to have a sponsor – either a company or the host country’s government – and gain approval from authorities for a “SafeTravel Pass”.
Limits on the number of travellers allowed to move between the two countries will be imposed, although authorities have yet to announce any specific quotas. Prospective travellers from China who are sponsored by Singapore government agencies will be able to apply for the SafeTravel Pass from Monday, with applications being opened to those sponsored by companies at a later stage.
At present, China and Singapore only allow those with residency to enter, and they have to serve a 14-day quarantine upon their arrival.
The new fast lane arrangement, however, will reduce these waiting times down to one or two days for the results of the traveller’s second Covid-19 swab test to be returned. An initial negative swab test would have had to have been done within 48 hours of departure for travellers to be eligible for the scheme.
Travellers who test positive upon arrival in either country will undergo medical treatment in the host country and bear the treatment costs themselves, officials said on Wednesday, adding that the arrangement is expected to be gradually expanded to cover other Chinese provinces and municipalities.
Singapore has barred tourists and business travellers from entering since March 24, with passengers not even allowed to transit Changi Airport until June 2. China also stopped the entry of visitors, with airlines limited to maintaining just one route to China that flies only once a week.