Singapore is the latest destination to finally drop all COVID-19 entry requirements and return to normal. This comes almost three years after the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic and is a welcome move for American travelers.
Singapore drops entry requirements
Almost three years ago, Singapore joined the rest of the world in shutting its borders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, travelers could visit but various regulations were in place relating to proof of vaccination, negative COVID tests and the use of face masks.
Fast forward to now, and finally, Singapore is throwing its borders open and lifting all entry requirements, returning to normal at its border. From now, international travelers will not be subject to health checks when arriving in the popular city-state.
Popular destination for Americans
Meanwhile, Singapore is one of the most popular destinations for Americans in Southeast Asia, along with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Moreover, despite the higher cost of living there as compared to other countries in the region, everything that the city-state offers fully makes up for the expense of visiting.
While Singapore welcomed travelers with few requirements prior to the pandemic, especially Americans, South East Asian nations were among the first to put entry restrictions in place in response to the viral surge. It enacted a number of measures, including border closures and lockdowns to keep new variants at bay.
It was almost two years later that South East Asia started loosening its travel regulations again, but it did so gradually, with Cambodia and Vietnam leading the way. Meanwhile, Malaysia and Thailand soon followed the trend due to improved epidemiological scenarios and record-breaking tourism recorded by their competitors.
However, vaccinated American travelers have been exempt from testing since April 2022. However, unvaccinated travelers weren’t so lucky. They were required to present a negative COVID test (PCR or Rapid Antigen) up to 48 hours before flying.
Singapore returning to normal
Finally, as of February 13, Singapore has relaxed rules even further, with the government revoking a majority of health mandates that were still in force. In fact, the following are no longer required from today.
- Mandatory vaccination or testing for entry into Singapore
- Masks on public transport
- Buying COVID health insurance prior to traveling
Basically, Singapore has returned to its pre-pandemic entry guidelines. Now, tourists are exempt from all health-related regulations when visiting the city-state. Moreover, this applies to every nationality and country of arrival and with no requirement for vaccination status.
Singapore will treat the virus as endemic
As reported by Reuters, the city-nation’s “virus taskforce” has now lifted all remaining rules as of February 9. Moreover, this comes after lowering the “disease outbreak response level” from yellow to green. This means that COVID is no longer considered a threatening or potentially disruptive pathogen. In fact, Singapore is finally moving on and is treating COVID as endemic.
Lawrence Wong, Deputy Prime Minister and Co-Chair of the task force said the situation “has remained stable over recent months, despite increased travel over the year-end holidays and China’s shift from zero COVID.” In fact, this further proved that border closures have a limited impact on the reduction of transmission according to health experts.
Moreover, Wong stressed that the population in Singapore has developed “a high level of hybrid immunity.” In fact, close to 80 percent of the population has received a full vaccination course, and 50 percent have received further recommended booster shots. He added:
We’ve had to deal with many unexpected curveballs and surprises along the way. But we managed to reach this point together because we all did our part.
Face masks in healthcare facilities
As with most countries, face masks are still mandatory in healthcare situations. However, travelers are only likely to need them if visiting a hospital or an indoor healthcare facility when touring Singapore.
What does Singapore have to offer?
Singapore is known as a world-class city with fascinating architecture, including the now iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel (pictured above), with its three towers supporting a giant “floating ship,” or Sky Park, which dominates the skyline. Among that skyline are other futuristic skyscrapers, beautiful gardens and other man-made wonders.
Getting to the city-state is relatively easy, with Singapore Airlines offering direct from three departure points in the US, namely New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Los Angeles (LAX). This makes Singapore one of the main gateways for American travelers visiting Southeast Asia.