Travellers entering Singapore must pay for COVID-19 tests
All travellers entering Singapore from 11.59pm, June 17, will be tested for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has said. The test will be scheduled a few days before the end of the 14-day stay-home notice period, at an allotted testing facility, MOH said in a press release.
Each person under a stay-home notice will receive information on the scheduled appointment slot and venue via an SMS notification. All inbound and outbound travellers who enter or leave Singapore from 11.59pm on June 17 will also be required to pay for their COVID-19 tests, and those who are not Singaporeans or PRs entering the country will need to foot their own bill for their stay at dedicated facilities.
Previously, the Singapore Government paid for the costs of stay at stay-home notice facilities for travellers entering Singapore, except for those who left Singapore from Mar 27 onwards.
It also bore the costs of the large majority of COVID-19 tests, MOH said.
“As we expand (and) reopen for more travel, we want to move to a more sustainable position,” said Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong at a press conference on Monday.
“It is an additional precautionary measure to detect the virus, especially given the risks of asymptomatic cases,” MOH said. “We will monitor the results of these tests and may make adjustments to the testing requirements over time.”
These individuals will have to travel from their place of residence to the designated testing facility, and return back immediately after the test,using their own private vehicle or designated transport, and avoid public transportation.
Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term pass holders entering Singapore from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, mainland China, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam and who stayed in these countries and territories in the last consecutive 14 days prior to their entry will be allowed to serve their stay-home notice at home under the new norms, MOH said.
Previously, they had to stay at dedicated facilities.
All those who can serve their stay-home notice at home must remain in their place of residence at all times, MOH said, adding that their whereabouts will be closely watched, through electronic monitoring as well as physical spot-checks.
However, travellers entering Singapore from countries not in the list will still need to serve their 14-day stay-home notice at dedicated facilities, regardless of whether they are residents or visitors.
According to MOH, a COVID-19 test for a person under stay-home notice costs up to S$200, while a 14-day stay at a dedicated facility costs S$2,000. All long-term pass holders will still need prior approval before coming back to Singapore.
“We will also study how to facilitate business travels, in particular for professionals based in Singapore who need to travel frequently as part of their work, with the necessary safeguards,” it added.