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My wife and I are due to go Singapore in late April, however that seems increasingly unlikely given the UK remain off the VTL list and we don’t fancy a test on arrival destination.
Does anybody have any insight into likely next steps wrt Singapore opening up? Couldn’t see much myself but this community is often better informed than most media outlets.
Not sure what you mean – VTL is possible from the UK to Singapore. However it is supervised lateral flow before the flight and PCR test on arrival which is off putting as you say, but par for the course in that part of the world at the moment, Thailand etc similar. Personally can’t see much more relaxing happening anytime soon
Thanks Sam. You are absolutely right. Somehow I had got it into my head that the VTL had been paused when Omnicron ramped up and hadn’t been re-established. It looks like we need the following:
– have spent the past 14 days in a VTL country
– apply for a vaccinated travel pass 3 – 60 days before your departure date
– book seats on a designated VTL flight
– have travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage (minimum S$30,000)
– have digital or physical copies of the required documents
– take the required COVID-19 tests before departure, upon arrival, and for the first 7 days of your stay in SingaporeNot sure if I fancy the risks associated with 7 days of testing!
The other issue is that our current flight BA15 isn’t designated as a VTL flight, though the VTL rota only goes up to 26-March. So I’m guessing ours will get designated after then.
I’m also scheduled to go mid April, it was originally KUL for a trip to Malaysia, which I swapped to SIN when BA canned KUL. I have considered converting it into a trip to Thailand instead, but as BA have also cancelled my original SIN flight and shifted me on to another SIN flight I think I’ll take that as an opportunity to reschedule it all to much later in the year.
Thanks Sam. You are absolutely right. Somehow I had got it into my head that the VTL had been paused when Omnicron ramped up and hadn’t been re-established. It looks like we need the following:
– have spent the past 14 days in a VTL country
– apply for a vaccinated travel pass 3 – 60 days before your departure date
– book seats on a designated VTL flight
– have travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage (minimum S$30,000)
– have digital or physical copies of the required documents
– take the required COVID-19 tests before departure, upon arrival, and for the first 7 days of your stay in SingaporeNot sure if I fancy the risks associated with 7 days of testing!
The 7 days of testing has been relaxed somewhat, but you are right, it’s a risk + the “on the ground” situation is still quite restrictive depending on what you like doing – no alcohol out and about past 10.30pm, hotels have slots for breakfast/pools, especially at weekends, masks outdoors, lots of scanning of the trace together app etc etc. Personally having lived there through it all I was very tired of it and Personally would give it a miss this year. I’m writing this from Spain which is far more relaxed for example !
Any issue with transiting to catch a VTL flight from Europe? i.e. Do you need to be on a specific country for a set amount of time before being allowed to board the VTL flight?
You need to have been in a VTL country for the last 7 days.
E.g o am travelling from London to Singapore via Frankfurt so have taken the rules to mean I am ok as both the U.K. and Germany are VTL countries.
You need to have been in a VTL country for the last 7 days.
E.g o am travelling from London to Singapore via Frankfurt so have taken the rules to mean I am ok as both the U.K. and Germany are VTL countries.
Correct, assuming you are entering Singapore. If you are just using a VTL flight to transit via Changi then no such requirement
Hello from Singapore, arrived a few days ago just before the PCR on arrival became of rapid antigen. The whole process was fairly slick, test results came back while we were asleep. My understanding now is that you are still confined to your hotel on arrival until you head to a Quick Test Centre. Singapore itself is OK, masks outside in 30C+ heat seems a bit of overkill, especially when lots of areas are really quite, Gardens By the Bay was like a ghost town. There’s enough bars and restaurants open to make it worth it, just got the result of our fit to fly PCR ready for Phuket tomorrow.
Hello from Singapore, arrived a few days ago just before the PCR on arrival became of rapid antigen. The whole process was fairly slick, test results came back while we were asleep. My understanding now is that you are still confined to your hotel on arrival until you head to a Quick Test Centre. Singapore itself is OK, masks outside in 30C+ heat seems a bit of overkill, especially when lots of areas are really quite, Gardens By the Bay was like a ghost town. There’s enough bars and restaurants open to make it worth it, just got the result of our fit to fly PCR ready for Phuket tomorrow.
The latest news yesterday was that they’re planning a chunk of easing once this latest wave subsides. I’d have thought outside masks would be one of the first thing to go!
You need to have been in a VTL country for the last 7 days.
E.g o am travelling from London to Singapore via Frankfurt so have taken the rules to mean I am ok as both the U.K. and Germany are VTL countries.
Great so in this case, even if I decide to do LHR-FRA 2 days before the flight and explore FRA. Then catch a separately ticketed flight FRA-SIN (VTL). No problem at all given both UK and Germany are on the VTL list of countries?
You need to have been in a VTL country for the last 7 days.
E.g o am travelling from London to Singapore via Frankfurt so have taken the rules to mean I am ok as both the U.K. and Germany are VTL countries.
Great so in this case, even if I decide to do LHR-FRA 2 days before the flight and explore FRA. Then catch a separately ticketed flight FRA-SIN (VTL). No problem at all given both UK and Germany are on the VTL list of countries?
None at all
The latest news yesterday was that they’re planning a chunk of easing once this latest wave subsides. I’d have thought outside masks would be one of the first thing to go!
Yep, rules are being slowly eased, but I’d still watch out as cases seem to be peaking and govt might suddenly want to pause the easing of restrictions.
Masks is more of a cultural issue – they pride themselves on wearing it and even have employed people to monitor those who don’t wear it and report to police. A uk traveller removed mask to drink a pint and forgot to put it back on. Within seconds was photographed by a stranger and reported. Luckily he wasn’t arrested.
The latest news yesterday was that they’re planning a chunk of easing once this latest wave subsides. I’d have thought outside masks would be one of the first thing to go!
Yep, rules are being slowly eased, but I’d still watch out as cases seem to be peaking and govt might suddenly want to pause the easing of restrictions.
Masks is more of a cultural issue – they pride themselves on wearing it and even have employed people to monitor those who don’t wear it and report to police. A uk traveller removed mask to drink a pint and forgot to put it back on. Within seconds was photographed by a stranger and reported. Luckily he wasn’t arrested.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/omicron-wave-covid-19-vaccination-rate-lawrence-wong-2512266 this was the article I saw with the quote in.
Friends have been saying recently they’ve seen a lot more rule breaking – e.g. blatent drinking after 10.30pm around Haji Lane. But yes, any foreigner is digilently sticking to the rules as there have been multiple high profile incidents involving Brits being punished and having to leave
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind wearing a mask and I understand the cultural aspect. But the prime idiocy of it is wearing one in Gardens by the Bay when you were at least 20m from the next person. I’m also still surprised by the number of people wiping surfaces etc when the evidence points to almost no infections caused by surface contact. It’s been good to be back but three nights (one stuck in my room) is enough.
Thanks SamG – good to know. In the reverse, any problems with transiting on separate tickets in SIN? Thinking of getting a cheap airasia ticket back to SIN then connect on BA/SQ? Happy to pick bags up and recheck in if that is required.
Thanks SamG – good to know. In the reverse, any problems with transiting on separate tickets in SIN? Thinking of getting a cheap airasia ticket back to SIN then connect on BA/SQ? Happy to pick bags up and recheck in if that is required.
In “olden” times this was easily done, take your bags to early check in for your night flight home and depending on time head to the city or East Coast or hang out at Jewel or do a lounge tour.
Now you’ll need to travel on a VTL flight back to Singapore and unless it has changed recently there is still no early check in available for BA – SQ should be ok. There is also the issue of needing to take an ART. You can do this at Raffles Changi T3 but you need a booking. + have the correct travel insurance
I’d just build in an overnight to keep it simple and have somewhere to take your bags (especially if flying BA)
Thanks it had not clicked that I need a VTL flight even to transit (but on separate tickets)…
Thanks it had not clicked that I need a VTL flight even to transit (but on separate tickets)…
Yes – it’s explicit at the moment that you cannot transit on two seperate tickets. So you need to be admissable into Singapore to board the first flight. But that is much easier now you can get a LFT (“Rapid ART” in local speak). Most flights are VTL now especially anything to a tourist hotspot as they’re mainly targetting local traffic.
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