SG Arrival Card to stay permanently due to benefits

SINGAPORE – The SG Arrival Card, which travellers including Singaporean residents submit before returning to the Republic, will be a permanent feature to guard against importing infectious diseases of concern such as yellow fever, the Middle East respiratory syndrome and Ebola, said Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung in Parliament on Monday (Feb 6).

“We don’t want them to become endemic diseases in our part of the world,” said Mr Ong, noting that the SG Arrival Card is a necessary permanent feature to prevent such diseases from coming into Singapore. “Of course, all features are reviewed from time to time.”

Mr Ong also said that information pertaining to a traveller’s travel history and how they feel, is dynamic, and therefore not captured in existing government systems.

Moreover, the information required can be submitted digitally, with only three questions to ascertain the risk of a traveller being infected with the current diseases of concern, he added.

He was replying a question from Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Bukit Panjang) on whether the Ministry of Health (MOH) will review the need for the card.

Currently, all travellers entering Singapore via air and sea checkpoints have to fill up the SG Arrival Card within three days prior to their arrival. They can submit the card, which is free of charge, via the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) website or on the MyICA Mobile app.

Only Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders who are returning to the country via the land checkpoints are exempted from submitting the SG Arrival Card. 

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The ICA said last December that this was due to the high volume of traffic and travellers having to commute daily for work and study. 

“Travellers at risk of yellow fever infection and do not have a valid relevant vaccination certificate are assessed and may be quarantined to protect against the risk of importation of yellow fever in Singapore,” Mr Ong said.

“And this is a serious matter for Singapore because the Aedes aegypti mosquito vector that spreads yellow fever is present.”

Common symptoms of yellow fever include vomiting, muscle aches and fever. According to the MOH website, some countries in Africa or Latin America are associated with the risk of yellow fever transmission. 

One question in the SG Arrival Card requires travellers to declare whether they have fever, cough and other symptoms, and have also visited Africa or the Middle East in the 14 days prior to arriving in Singapore. 

Mr Ong said: “Travellers suspected of being infected can be referred for further medical assessment and isolation if necessary.”

He added: “All travellers are required to submit a health declaration because all travellers are subject to the risk of infectious diseases.”

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.