Singapore to lift virus travel restrictions

People ride bicycles along the promenade at Marina Bay in Singapore on December 21, 2021. Photo: AFP

Singapore will lift restrictions for all vaccinated travelers from next week, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday hailing it as a "major milestone" in the aviation hub's efforts to live with COVID-19.

A gateway for many travelers arriving in the Asia-Pacific, Singapore had already started quarantine-free travel schemes with some countries in recent months. 

From April 1, fully vaccinated adults and unvaccinated children will be allowed to enter the country without quarantining, as long as they take a pre-departure test, officials said. 

Lee said Singapore had reached a "major milestone" in its efforts to live with the virus. 

Easing travel curbs will "reconnect Singapore with the world," he said in a televised address. "It will give a much-needed boost to businesses, particularly the tourism sector, and it will help Singapore reclaim its position as a business and aviation hub."

Only travelers on a "restricted list" will face curbs in entering Singapore, although there are currently no countries on the list.

A raft of other coronavirus measures were also eased, with people in Singapore no longer required to wear masks outside, and limits on group sizes raised to 10, up from five previously.


The pandemic plunged Singapore into its worst-ever recession in 2020 as the trading hub closed its borders. 

International visitor arrivals dropped to just 2.7 million in 2020 from more than 19 million in 2019.

Other countries in the Asia-Pacific that have recently announced an easing of travel restrictions include Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

On Wednesday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced that fully vaccinated international visitors are no longer required to undergo quarantine amid a decrease in COVID-19 cases in the Southeast Asian country.

International travelers are now only required to show negative PCR test results upon arrival, he added.