MOH: No Changes on COVID-19 Measures for China Visitors

The Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) sees no need to update the current COVID-19 measures put on travellers from China, as the country sets to reopen its borders on Jan. 8, 2023, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported on Dec. 28.

In a statement on CNA’s queries, the ministry said: “At this juncture, the prevailing border measures and vaccination requirements for travellers and work pass holders arriving from China remain unchanged.” They said they will continue to monitor the situation and will amend the rules as needed.

The lifting of COVID-19 restriction in China came after rare public gatherings in China started popping up across the country to protest the hard-line restrictions and blanket zero-tolerance approach to COVID-19 infections.

This announcement also came on the heels of several countries calling for stricter protocols regarding new visitors from China. The United States has already imposed COVID-19 tests on Chinese travellers, and so do Italy, Japan, Taiwan, and India. On the other hand, the United Kingdom and Australia went the same way as Singapore in retaining existing travel rules.

COVID-19 statistics coming from the mainland are also not helping in curbing the wariness about Chinese travellers. China reports there have been 5,000 daily cases, but experts say the actual number is closer to a million.