Travellers from HK, Japan and Australia's Victoria State must serve SHN at dedicated facilities in Singapore

SINGAPORE - From next Monday (July 20), travellers entering Singapore after visits to - including transits in - Japan, Hong Kong and the Australian state of Victoria within the last 14 days will be required to serve their stay-home notice (SHN) at dedicated facilities instead of at their own place of residence.

They will also have to undergo a Covid-19 test before they end their SHN.

The new measures come as these places have seen a recent resurgence of Covid-19 cases.

Specifically, travellers who left Singapore from March 27, despite the prevailing travel advisory against leaving the country, are required to pay for their stay at dedicated SHN facilities. Travellers who are not Singapore citizens or permanent residents are also required to pay for their stay at dedicated SHN facilities.

The Straits Times understands that the cost of each 14-day stay is about $2,000. The Covid-19 test for each person costs an additional $200.

At a virtual press conference on Friday evening, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said that the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19, which he co-chairs, constantly reviews and updates border measures based on their assessment of the viral situation around the world.

He said: "In some countries, you are seeing a resurgence... it has not been controlled at all and the cases are still accelerating. So we really need to remain vigilant - both at our borders, in terms of the measures we have in place... as well as within our community, to continue to ensure that we control the infection and control the spread of the virus within our community."

A Ministry of Health press release said: "As the global situation evolves, we will continue to update our border measures. Travellers planning to enter Singapore should be prepared to be subjected to the prevailing border measures upon entry, including payment for their stay at dedicated SHN facilities where applicable."

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