14 February 2023
| Post bySingapore has lifted all COVID-19 entry restrictions for visitors, including those who are not fully vaccinated. Travelers can now enter the country without showing any coronavirus paperwork.
The change came into effect on 13 February 2022. From this date onwards, passengers face no additional border restrictions. This includes no longer showing a COVID-19 vaccine certificate or a negative test result.
Visitors should be aware that all standard entry requirements are still in place, including Singapore’s visa policy. Passengers are also required to answer some health-related questions as part of the Singapore Arrival Card application, which is mandatory for everyone.
Mask rules have also been eased, and Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) now only requires individuals to wear them in hospitals and other high-risk places.
This decision has been made in response to a decrease in COVID-19 cases, with the country deeming it safe enough to relax its coronavirus regulations.
Singapore Welcomes a Drop In COVID-19 Cases
The MOH has announced that COVID-19 cases in Singapore has been declining since the end of 2022, and there have been no reported high-severity variants of the virus.
Professor Kenneth Mak, Singapore’s director of medical services, commented on the decrease in positive cases among visitors from China. This is despite an increase in flights between Singapore and China. He said:
“We continue to look at where imported cases come (from). They come from all countries and all regions… At this time, because they (the cases) are not severe, they don’t pose any burden on our healthcare system.”
Adding that: “The careful calibrated opening of our borders is not a public health threat to us.”
Singaporean authorities have made it clear that the country is protected enough against the virus to remove its entry restrictions.
Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong said:
“For Singapore… our healthcare system is very strong. At the same time, our local vaccination rate is very high, our immunity levels are very high. And that gives us the confidence to open up our borders.”
Singapore’s Previous COVID-19 Policy
Singapore has implemented a number of additional measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before these restrictions were removed, passengers were required to have extra paperwork, which depended on their vaccination status.
The last restrictions to be removed applied to passengers who were not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. These travelers needed a negative test result to prove that they were not carrying the virus into Singapore. This requirement no longer applies.
International visitors are still required to provide health information, but this now forms part of the Singapore Arrival Card. Passengers do not need to complete a separate COVID-19 health declaration.
What COVID-19 Rules Are Still in Place in Singapore?
Along with the easing of border restrictions, the requirement to wear a mask on public transport in Singapore has also been removed.
Individuals must still wear a mask in places like hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes, to help protect vulnerable patients and the elderly.