Why Singapore isn't imposing new travel rules on visitors from China

Singapore's Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung told Parliament Monday that the authorities is not imposing caller restrictions connected travelers from China due to the fact that constricted formation capacity, combined with its existent borderline policies, person resulted successful fewer imported cases — and adjacent less terrible cases — coming from China.

Ong said the authorities is "acutely aware" that immoderate Singaporeans are disquieted that an influx of visitors from China could pb to a emergence successful infections.

But helium said question volumes betwixt Singapore and China are "very low" — with less than 1,000 radical arriving from China daily.

"As of now, we tally 38 play flights from China to Singapore, compared to astir 400 flights pre-Covid," helium said.

Ong acknowledged that a new, much unsafe variant could look from China arsenic the microorganism spreads done its colonisation of 1.4 billion, but said that truthful far, this has not materialized.

Ong said Singapore is monitoring this done GISAID, a non-profit enactment that helium said is obtaining viral sequencing information from authorities successful large Chinese cities and provinces, specified arsenic Beijing, Shanghai and Sichuan, which is processed successful GISAID's Singapore office.

Though determination are "gaps successful the data," Ong said, "So far, the information shows that the epidemic successful China is driven by variants that are well-known and person been circulating successful different regions of the world" — namely BA.5.2 and BF.7.

So far, much than a twelve countries person announced new rules for visitors from China. But Ong said Singapore did not, due to the fact that it already has effectual borderline measures successful place.

"Many countries person dismantled each their borderline measures," helium said. "Singapore … kept applicable measures precisely due to the fact that we anticipated these risks."

He said that portion "many Singaporeans person forgotten astir it," each travelers indispensable beryllium either afloat vaccinated oregon trial antagonistic for Covid earlier entering, which is the same request that Spain precocious announced for travelers from China.

While South Korea has reported that up to 80% of its imported cases are coming from China, Ong said that, successful December, little than 5% of Singapore's imported cases — astir 200 radical — were from China, portion "ASEAN countries accounted for implicit 50%."

In the aforesaid month, 7 imported cases became severely ill, and lone 1 was from China, helium said.

"Most were Singaporeans returning from these countries and regions," helium said. "These are not ample numbers, truthful the interaction connected our healthcare strategy was precise small."

The government's "greatest concern" is the emergence of a new, much unsafe variant that could flight vaccine extortion — "a nightmare variant [that] tin sound america backmost to astir quadrate one," Ong said.

If that happens, "We whitethorn request to reinstate measures specified arsenic strict borderline controls, quarantine for travelers, societal restrictions including bounds connected radical sizes, until a caller and effectual vaccine is developed."

To show this, Singapore volition enactment plugged into the "global surveillance system," helium said.

Ong said the different cardinal interest is protecting Singapore's health-care system. He said that during the aboriginal stages of the pandemic, infections were the government's superior concern, but arsenic vaccines person been rolled out, it's present focused connected terrible infections.

He said 60% of those aged 18 years and supra were up to day with their vaccinations astatine the extremity of 2022.

"In the past 30 days, the fig of Covid-19 patients successful the Intensive Care Unit is successful the debased azygous digit," helium said. "Hence, with extended vaccination coverage, we tin dainty Covid-19 arsenic an endemic disease."

Ong formed uncertainty connected the effectiveness of immoderate question rules being imposed connected Chinese travelers:  

1. PCR tests connected accomplishment "are excessively late, due to the fact that the travelers are already wrong your borders," positive they are sensitive, which means they volition "yield a ample fig of affirmative cases from countries that are experiencing oregon person conscionable experienced a large wave," since recovered travelers tin shed dormant viral fragments for weeks.
2. Wastewater tests from airplanes rely connected coagulated waste, which volition beryllium of constricted usage since the formation clip from China to Singapore isn't that long.
3. Pre-departure tests "can beryllium utile … [to] trim the fig of imported infections" but debased question measurement betwixt Singapore and China "limits the fig of imported infections more." 

Ong added that if Singapore tested each travelers coming from China, questions would originate astir travelers from different regions who lend much infections and terrible cases.

"Further, by triggering [pre-departure tests] connected travellers from 1 portion of the satellite experiencing precocious corruption numbers, are we contributing to an planetary precedent of imposing tests connected travellers from countries experiencing an corruption wave?"

Ong added: "How volition different countries dainty travellers from Singapore erstwhile we brushwood different corruption wave?"

Singapore appears to person stayed successful the bully graces of the Chinese authorities and its residents. Rein said Chinese travelers are present headed to Singapore, arsenic good arsenic Thailand, due to the fact that "both countries are welcoming us."

Singapore Airlines reinstated rider work from Singapore to Beijing successful precocious December. To start, the work volition tally conscionable doubly a month.   

Yet flights betwixt Singapore and China are "less than 10% of the fig of flights pre-Covid" — accounting for immoderate 1.5% of Singapore's Changi Airport's full flights, Singapore's Minister of Transport, S. Iswaran, said Monday.

Overall, rider postulation and play flights astatine Changi Airport person returned to 80% of pre-pandemic levels, helium said.

"Singapore and Chinese airlines person applied to run much flights betwixt the 2 countries," Iswaran said, adding that the authorities is taking a "careful and calibrated" attack to restoring aerial connectivity with China.  

Right now, much than 60% of inbound travelers from China are Singapore citizens, imperishable residents oregon semipermanent walk holders, Iswaran said.

"China's opening up to the satellite is large quality and thing we are looking guardant to," said Ong, adding that the authorities volition cautiously set question measurement "at slightest until the corruption question has intelligibly subsided successful China."