Singapore declared that it is reopening its borders for travellers from 11 countries. Starting October 19, fully vaccinated tourists from 6 European countries – Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. People visiting from South Korea will be able to enter Singapore quarantine-free from November 15.

Those travelling on the VTL scheme must be on a VTL nominated flight which are operated by Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa right now. Travellers will need to show proof of been fully vaccinated. Additionally, short-term visitors must buy travel insurance, with a minimum coverage of SGD 30,000 for Covid-19-related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs.

On the day of the announcement, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed the country to explain why they are reopening and satisfy people worried about the new coronavirus wave. He said, “Singapore cannot stay locked down and shut down endlessly. It will not work and will be very costly. We can’t resume our lives, participate in social activities, open our borders, and recover our economy.”

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Singapore has seen the coronavirus cases jump to record levels, with an average of 3,200 cases per day in the last week. The number of t seriously ill is low at 2 per cent. Only 2 out of every thousand wanted concentrated care treatment or have died. Due to a vaccination rate of 85 per cent of the total population, about 98 per cent who have Covid-19 in Singapore have mild or no symptoms at all.