Singapore to allow quarantine-free travel for certain travellers

Singapore will allow quarantine-free entry to travelers from Germany and Brunei who are vaccinated against COVID-19 starting from today.

Visitors from these countries can begin bypassing the isolation requirement if they test negative in four COVID-19 tests, making it the first travel bubble of its kind between Asia and Europe since the pandemic began. Border restrictions will also be progressively eased for all travel from Hong Kong and Macau starting September 11.

Singapore has vaccinated 71.3% of its population, giving them a strong foundation to introduce vaccination-differentiated border measures for travelers from regions that have controlled the pandemic well. As business and leisure travel is essential to Singapore’s trade-dependent economy, Singapore is looking to kick-start their economy by treating COVID-19 like the influenza.

Expect Singapore to use this bubble as a trial of sorts, as the country begins reopening borders to the rest of the world. If successful, its international travel framework will likely pave the way for how other countries, such as Australia, tackles its own international border reopening.  Despite its promise, expect the process to move slowly, as the highly limited nature of the reopening protects Singapore from a potential surge of cases.

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