Ban overseas travel for Singapore residents to avert strain on healthcare system

In an interview with the media last week on the Covid-19 crisis, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: “We have been fighting and the tide is still coming in. What has changed is that we have put up our dyke, we have held the water out, but the dyke leaks.”

While Singapore has closed its borders to short-term visitors, Singaporeans are still allowed to return from overseas and are required to quarantine themselves for 14 days. This is the right thing to do as we should welcome our citizens home in times of crisis.

But I read with deep concern the report, “Singaporeans who travel overseas after March 27 to pay full hospital rates if warded for Covid-19” (March 24).

It is worrying that as of March 24, about 1,000 Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders were still travelling abroad daily. This is despite a government advisory to defer all travel abroad.

This prompted the Government to announce that Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders who leave the country from March 27 will be charged unsubsidised rates at public hospitals if they were to be admitted as suspected Covid-19 patients within 14 days of returning. 

Yet this measure will not deter everyone from travelling abroad. A stubborn minority who are socially irresponsible will continue to travel and put the health of our people at risk.

Every additional Covid-19 case from this group will put further strain on our healthcare system.

While the number of imported cases has dropped in recent days, we should tighten measures to avoid a spike in infections.

Hence, I urge the Government to impose an overseas travel ban on all Singapore residents.

Those who wish to travel overseas must apply for permission from the authorities.

Our country is in the grip of a dire situation and we need to enact tougher measures to safeguard the health of our people.

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