Singapore trials travel-pass scheme for senior business executives in bid to boost coronavirus-hit economy

Name: Coronavirus: Singapore uses pilotless drones to monitor social distancing
Uploaded: 2020-09-23T12:24:22.000Z
Duration: 1 min 8 s
Description: Coronavirus: Singapore uses pilotless drones to monitor social distancing

The passes will give holders returning to the island nation the option to take a Covid-19 test and self-isolate until the results are out, in lieu of receiving a stay-home notice

The health ministry says the number of passes will be strictly limited, and those using them will have to abide by a controlled itinerary

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The travel pass will not be country specific and will allow individuals to travel to “quite a wide range of countries”. Photo: AFP

Dewey Sim

Published: 8:24pm, 23 Sep 2020Updated: 9:50am, 24 Sep 2020

Singapore is piloting a travel-pass scheme that will give senior business executives returning to the city state from overseas trips the option to take a Covid-19 test and self-isolate until the results are out, in lieu of receiving a stay-home notice.

Currently, most travellers who get a stay-home notice – except those entering from countries deemed “low-risk”, including Malaysia and Taiwan – have to serve a compulsory 14-day period at designated hotels upon entering the city state, while self-isolation can be done at their place of residence.

The number of travel passes would initially be “strictly limited”, and those using them would have to abide by a “strictly controlled itinerary”, the health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, as the government looks to slowly restart business and leisure travel to boost its pandemic-hit economy.

Singapore’s borders have been closed to most travellers since March, and only business and official trips to specific countries – Japan, Malaysia, Brunei, South Korea, and six regions in mainland China – are allowed. Only foreign tourists from New Zealand and Brunei can enter the island nation, but they must get permission before arriving.

Education minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministerial task force that deals with the coronavirus, briefly elaborated on the travel pass by saying that it would not be country-specific and would allow individuals to travel to “quite a wide range of countries”.

“The idea is to be able to allow senior executives who are based in Singapore with extensive regional or international responsibilities to have a bit more flexibility to travel for work reasons,” he said.

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Coronavirus: Singapore uses pilotless drones to monitor social distancing

The travel-pass announcement came as the government declared the resumption of more business activities, with Singapore’s daily rate of new Covid-19 cases falling to below 20 a day. The country recorded 12 new cases on Wednesday, bringing its total to 57,639.

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