Singapore has lifted travel restrictions for citizens of India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka from October 26, meaning people with a travel history of 14 days to these countries will be allowed to enter the city-state. However, the Singapore government has said that travelers from these countries will have to go through their own Category IV border measures.
What are the Category IV limit measures and what does it mean for Indian travellers?
Under this category, which is the strictest of the four restriction levels in Singapore, only Singapore citizens and permanent residents and travelers under the Death and Critical Illness Emergency Visits Lane are allowed entry.
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All other travelers are not allowed to enter Singapore, including those with prior entry approval. In addition, eligible passengers COVID-19 The RT-PCR test should not exceed 48 hours from departure, undergo another test on arrival in Singapore and stay in a dedicated quarantine facility for 10 days.
Why has Singapore given this exemption now?
Singapore’s Ministry of Health said in a statement: “We previously announced that all travelers with a 14-day travel history to Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will not be allowed to enter or transit Singapore. The COVID-19 situation in the countries has been reviewed, and all passengers with a 14-day travel history to Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are allowed to enter and transit from Singapore to Singapore before leaving for Singapore. 26 October 2021, 23:59 hrs. These passengers will be subject to Category IV limit measures.
Does Singapore allow travelers from other countries?
Yes, the city-state has allowed people to come from other countries where the Covid-19 situation is under control. Notably, in order to defeat the ban on passengers from India, who wanted to return to Singapore from India, they had to spend 14 days in a third country before flying to Singapore. In August, Singapore also introduced Vaccination Travel Lane (VTL) along with Germany and Brunei Darussalam. VTL is basically an extension of the travel corridor, though only for those passengers who have been fully vaccinated. VTL has now been extended to Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, UK, Canada, US and South Korea.
Which countries are allowing travel from India?
Several other countries including UAE, Germany, Spain, Maldives, Turkey, Thailand etc are allowing Indian travelers to some extent. Last month, the Turkish embassy in New Delhi announced that travelers traveling from India to Turkey would no longer undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine unless they were fully vaccinated. In August, Germany re-classified India into “high (Covid) incidence areas” below the high travel restriction level of “virus type areas”. Also it removed the entry restriction for travelers from India. Spain is also allowing tourists coming from India to be fully vaccinated.
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