Singapore has announced relaxation of entry and testing requirements for vaccinated travel lane (VTL) passengers, but Indian travellers have to show their negative Covid-19 (RT-PCR) test report within two days of flight departure.
According to Singapore Airlines (SIA), fully vaccinated passengers travelling to Singapore from February 22 on VTL flights from Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai will have their travel history requirement reduced from 14 to 7 days, moneycontrol reported.
To be eligible for VTL flights, travellers must not have any travel history (including transit) outside of VTL countries/regions, or outside of countries/regions listed as Category I (Macao, Mainland China, and Taiwan) by Singapore’s ministry of health in the past seven days, SIA said.
“If the traveller has been in Singapore within those last seven days, his/her stay in Singapore can be counted towards fulfilling this seven-day travel history requirement,” the statement said.
The second change will be that the long-term pass holders will no longer have to apply for a vaccinated travel pass (VTP) to travel to Singapore on a VTL flight. However, a VTP is still required for short-term visitors and work permit holders.
The on-arrival testing requirements at Singapore will also be relaxed, according to the statement.
“From February 22, VTL travellers need not take an on-arrival Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test at Changi Airport. Instead, they will be required to take a supervised self-swab Antigen Rapid Test (ART) at any test centre located across Singapore within 24 hours of arrival,” it said.
A testing notice with a weblink to book tests would be issued to travellers upon their entry into Singapore. If the above ART is negative, no further ART/PCR tests are required throughout one’s stay in Singapore.
The changes to Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Lane entry and testing requirements follow the government’s announcement last month exempting VTL travellers from all testing requirements if they had recently recovered from Covid- (within 7 to 90 days of their last infection before departure to Singapore) and can provide appropriate documentary proof of their recovery.
Singapore Airlines operates 52 flights to Singapore from eight cities in India, which includes daily, quarantine-free VTL services from Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai.
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