Singapore Launches Vaccination Travel Route With India And Indonesia Later This Month

Illustration of Changi Airport, Singapore. (Wikimedia Commons/ProjectManhattan)

JAKARTA - Singapore will expand its vaccinated travel route (VTL) scheme to more countries starting November 29, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said Monday.

The Lion Country is known to intend to launch VTL with India and Indonesia from 29 November, next with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 6 December.

Speaking at a press conference of the multi-ministerial COVID-19 task force on Monday, Transport Minister S Iswaran said Singapore and India had discussed mutual recognition of vaccination certificates.

Since 12 November, India has started to recognize vaccination certificates issued by Singapore.

"This means that travelers from Singapore who have been fully vaccinated entering India no longer need to undergo post-arrival test home quarantine, they only need to self-monitor for 14 days after arrival," Iswaran said, citing CNA November 15.

The ministry, added Minister Iswaran, has also updated its public health assessment and will upgrade India to Category 2 from 19 November.

"We are in discussions about the resumption of scheduled commercial passenger services (with India). Because, today the only flights from Singapore that are allowed to carry passengers to India are government charter assistance flights under the Vande Bharat mission," he explained.

"Our discussions with India are going well. And we aim to resume two daily VTL flights to Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai on 29 November. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) will provide further details upon completion," added the Minister. Iswaran.

While related to VTL with Indonesia, Minister Iswaran said it would be a one-sided vaccination route for now.

"Indonesia remains closed to public travel, but has started to open its borders. Since October 14, Indonesia has unilaterally reopened its borders to allow visitors from 19 countries," explained Minister Iswaran.

"We hope that Indonesia will soon reopen its borders for travelers from Singapore," he said.

Singapore illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/chensiyuan)

For starters, said Iswaran, there will be two daily services between Singapore and Jakarta. This will gradually be increased to four.

Applications for short-term visitors and long-term pass holders will start on November 22 for travelers from India and Indonesia, while travelers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will be able to apply from November 29.

Meanwhile, returning Singaporeans and fully vaccinated Permanent Residents do not need to apply if they are traveling through VTL.

"Travelers who will travel from Singapore to these countries/regions are advised to check the entry requirements that apply to these destinations," explained the Ministry of Health in a statement.

Meanwhile Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said Singapore will continue to monitor the situation around the world closely, ensuring travel does not burden the country's healthcare system.

Noting the increase in infections in Europe, Minister Ong said the overall infection rate in various countries including Europe was comparable to Singapore.

In particular, he highlighted the Netherlands, one of Singapore's VTL partners, which is currently experiencing a 'slightly higher' infection rate than Singapore and is also on the rise.

Despite the recent social restrictions announced by the Dutch government, Minister Ong said the task force did not think it was necessary to cancel VTL or reduce VTL quotas.

"Imported cases or imported cases are still very small from the total community cases and have no significant effect on local transmission," he explained.

"In addition, there is a quota of only six flights a week from the Netherlands and most importantly, VTL travelers are all vaccinated and fully tested before departure and upon arrival."

"Therefore, it is highly unlikely that continuing with VTL will place an additional burden on our hospital and healthcare systems."

To note, to date Singapore has launched 13 VTL including Australia, Canada and Germany. The country previously announced it would launch VTL with Malaysia, Finland and Sweden from 29 November.

In a separate statement, CAAS said the step-by-step extension of the VTL allowed it to safely revive air travel without compromising public health.

He added that it would also help to reclaim and re-establish Singapore's status as an international aviation hub with global connectivity.

The Ministry of Health added that Chile, Ethiopia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka will also be placed in Category 2 from November 19.