Singapore to ban non-resident visitors from India amid fears of Covid-19 reinfection among recovered migrant workers

Scientific study from recovered patients shows gradual decrease in antibody levels a year after their date of infection

India arrival ban comes after delay to expected Thursday announcement on launch date of Singapore-Hong Kong travel bubble

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An ambulance parked in front of the Westlite Woodlands dormitory in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:59pm, 22 Apr 2021Updated: 7:41pm, 22 Apr 2021

Singapore will ban entry to all non-residents travelling from India from Friday night, as it faces a new infection cluster among its largely South Asian migrant worker community that has raised fears of reinfection among recovered coronavirus patients.

From 11.59pm on Friday, all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to India within the last 14 days cannot enter or transit through Singapore, including those who have obtained prior approval, authorities said on Thursday.

A multi-ministry taskforce that manages the coronavirus pandemic also revealed that scientific evidence from recovered patients who had caught Covid-19 almost a year ago showed it was possible for antibody levels to decrease.

“Immunity in recovered persons can wane and caution is required around the infection risks in recovered persons,” it said in a press release.

These findings were released after an announcement on Singapore’s long-awaited travel bubble with Hong Kong did not take place as expected on Thursday. Sources said Singapore had sought to push back the announcement to next week and that the quarantine-free arrangement would start in late May.

About one in three of Singapore’s 1 million low-wage migrant workers live in mega-dormitories and factory-converted complexes, and they bore the brunt of the city state’s infections last year. These workers primarily hail from South Asian countries and mainland China, working in the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors.