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Testing requirements for VTL travellers arriving in Singapore to be eased from Jan 24: MOH

SINGAPORE — From 11.59pm on Jan 23, travellers entering Singapore on the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) scheme will be required to take unsupervised self-administered antigen rapid tests only on the second and seventh day of their arrivals, and only if they need to leave their place of residence or accommodation on those days.

Travellers arriving in Singapore after 11.59pm on Jan 23 will not have to declare the results of their daily Covid-19 tests to the Ministry of Health.
Travellers arriving in Singapore after 11.59pm on Jan 23 will not have to declare the results of their daily Covid-19 tests to the Ministry of Health.
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SINGAPORE — From 11.59pm on Jan 23, travellers entering Singapore on the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) scheme will be required to take unsupervised self-administered antigen rapid tests only on Days 2 and 7 of their arrivals, and only if they need to leave their place of residence or accommodation on those days.

They will not have to declare the results of their tests to the Ministry of Health (MOH), the ministry said on Friday (Jan 21).

Right now, these travellers have to undertake a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on arrival in Singapore, followed by unsupervised self-administered antigen rapid tests on Days 2, 4, 5 and 6 of their arrival in Singapore. They have to submit these test results online to MOH.

On Days 3 and 7, they have to undergo supervised self-administered swab tests at an approved test centre.

For fully vaccinated travellers who have recovered from Covid-19 within the last 90 days and are arriving after 11.59pm on Jan 23, they will be exempted from all testing and stay-home orders if they are able to provide appropriate documentary proof.

The latest changes announced by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday came as imported Covid-19 cases form a shrinking overall proportion of Singapore’s overall case numbers.

At the end of last year, MOH announced that it would extend an enhanced seven-day testing regime for travellers arriving via the travel lane scheme for four weeks, in order to facilitate the detection of imported Omicron cases and slow transmission into the community.

“This has bought time for us to booster-vaccinate more residents, learn more about the Omicron variant and make necessary adjustments to our Covid-19 strategy," MOH said on Friday.

"As imported cases now form a shrinking proportion of our overall cases, we will simplify the VTL testing regime."

Travellers who arrive before 11.59pm on Jan 23 are still required to continue with the existing testing regime. 

Under the new regime, travellers who test positive on their antigen rapid tests will no longer need to undergo a confirmatory PCR test. Instead, they should self-isolate for 72 hours at their place of residence and monitor their health.

They can resume their normal activities if they test negative after this period.

For recently recovered travellers who are not fully vaccinated, they will be exempted from pre-departure testing requirements, but will still be subject to all other prevailing border measures, MOH said.

“This will facilitate the safe return of recently recovered residents who travel overseas,” it added.

Related topics

Covid-19 coronavirus vaccination travel Covid-19 testing antigen rapid test

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