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Singapore bars entry and transit for recent travellers to India, till further notice

Singapore bars entry and transit for recent travellers to India, till further notice

Please note the following key updates, which are explained in detail in the story below:

  • Until further notice, incoming pass holders and visitors from India (including transit within the last 14 days) will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore. This will also apply to all those who had obtained prior entry approval into Singapore.

  • From 29 April, recovered dormitory-dwelling workers and CMP workers who are living in Singapore, and who have crossed 270 days from the date of COVID-19 infection, will no longer be exempted from routine rostered testing.
  • TraceTogether-only SafeEntry to begin on 1 June 2021, at high-traffic venues including workplaces, malls, places of worship, schools and educational institutions.


Effective today (23 April 2021), 2359 hours, all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history (including transit) to India within the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore.

This will also apply to all those who had obtained prior approval for entry into Singapore, and until further notice, the Multi-Ministry Taskforce announced on Thursday (22 April)

At the same time, all travellers with recent travel history to India, who have yet to complete their 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) by 22 April 2021, 2359 hours, will now have to complete their additional seven-day SHN at dedicated SHN facilities, instead of their place of residence

This comes as Singapore recorded a few of cases of COVID-19 infection among recovered workers at Westlite Woodlands Dormitory over the past few days, despite these workers being fully vaccinated. 

The Ministry of Health (MOH) stressed that there is no evidence linking these recent cases to the new COVID-19 strain from India. However, as many of the arrivals from India are workers in the construction, marine and process (CMP) sectors, even with control measures in place, "there is still a risk that a leak may happen and cause another wave of infection in the dormitories."

More on the cases here

Additional precautions to be taken for recovered persons

In related updates, the MOH has announced that with effect from 29 April 2021, recovered dormitory-dwelling workers and CMP workers who are living in Singapore, and who have crossed 270 days from the date of COVID-19 infection, will no longer be exempted from prevailing public health measures.

These workers will be enrolled back on the Rostered Routine Testing (RRT) regime once they have passed 270 days from the date of past infection and, if identified as close contacts, will be subjected to quarantine to identify potential re-infection and mitigate the risk of spread. Newly arrived migrant workers with a serology positive result will also be enrolled onto the 14-day RRT.

The Ministry added: "With the emergence of new variants of concern around the world, we will closely monitor for re-infection of recovered COVID-19 cases, and are reviewing our border measures for recovered travellers.

"All newly arrived migrant workers from higher-risk countries/regions, including those with a positive serology result, will now have to undergo SHN at a dedicated facility before being onboarded at Migrant Workers Onboarding Centre for an additional testing regime."

Imported cases suspected of re-infection will be isolated and will undergo repeat COVID-19 PCR tests to monitor the trend of their viral loads, to ensure that such cases are detected promptly.


TraceTogether-only SafeEntry to begin on 1 June 2021, at high-traffic venues including workplaces

In similar COVID-19 news, from 1 June 2021, TraceTogether-only SafeEntry (TT-only SE) will be implemented at all venues that experience higher throughput of visitors, and/or where people are likely to be in close proximity for prolonged periods. These include workplaces, malls, places of worship, schools and educational institutions.

More than 90% of the population have either downloaded the TT App and/or collected the TT Token, thus facilitating this nationwide implementation, as announced on Thursday (22 April 2021).

This means that SE check-in must be performed using a TT App or Token by:

  • Using one’s TT App to scan the venue’s QR code;
  • Displaying one’s TT Token so that a venue staff can scan the TT Token’s QR code; or
  • Tapping one’s TT App or TT Token at a SafeEntry Gateway device.

Download this PDF for a handy guide

Effective 1 June, all other modes of SE check-in such as launching the phone's camera to scan a venue's QR code, using the Singpass App, and scanning of barcodes on personal IDs, will be discontinued.

With the implementation of TT-only SE, the existing requirement for SE check-ins at large retail stores and supermarkets located inside a mall will no longer apply, as all visitors would have already checked in at the mall entrances, and the interactions at these venues within the malls are generally more transient.

Small retail stores (e.g. pharmacies, convenience stores and heartland provision shops) that were not required to implement SE for customers, but have voluntarily done so, should also remove their SE check-ins to increase convenience for their patrons.

Essentially, TT-only SE check-ins will only be required in venues with higher traffic such as workplaces, malls, places of worship, schools and educational institutions, as well as higher-risk venues where people are likely to be in close proximity for prolonged periods (e.g. dine-in food and beverage outlets and gyms).

The full list of TT-only SE venues can be found in this Annex and on the SE website.

To facilitate SE check-in with the TT Token, venue operators should download the SafeEntry (Business) App or set up the SafeEntry Gateway Box. More information on how venue operators can apply for the SafeEntry Gateway Box is available on the SE website.


Photo / 123RF

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