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Singapore to introduce vaccinated travel lanes with Brunei and Germany from September
August 20th 2021
Singapore said it would introduce quarantine-free travel for passengers fully vaccinated against COVID-19 from Brunei and Germany, with the new vaccinated travel lane (VTL) arrangement to commence in September. Read More » Passengers must show evidence of a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, taken 48 hours before departure, on arrival at Changi Airport and also on the third and seventh days in the country. "We will continue to take a cautious, calibrated, step-by-step approach to reopening our borders, always mindful of our public health objectives," Singapore minister for transport, S Iswaran, told reporters yesterday. "And we are fortunate to be embarking on these moves with more than 75% of our population fully vaccinated." In July, Singapore outlined a road map for reopening the country and easing restrictions amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Singapore Airlines (SIA) said it would operate five VTL flights a week from Germany: three from Frankfurt and two from Munich, and one VTL flight a week from Bandar Seri Begawan. Royal Brunei Airlines has announced it will operate one VTL flight a week between its capital and Singapore. As Germany already is open to travellers from Singapore, the VTL will restore two-way quarantine-free travel between the two countries.
In related news, Singapore and Hong Kong will no longer pursue discussions for the establishment of an air travel bubble (ATB). While both governments are focused on keeping their populations safe and preventing imported cases of COVID-19, Singapore's Ministry of Transport (MoT) said the strategies of the two governments are different. "Singapore is now taking steps towards becoming a COVID-resilient nation," the Singapore MoT said. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said the "basic premises" that underpinned the travel bubble had changed. "For example, the seven-day moving average of unlinked local cases, which is the criterion for suspending and resuming the travel bubble as per the agreed framework, may not be kept consistently at the required level in Singapore as a result of its new strategy," the HKSAR said.
