More than its Asian neighbours, the city-state of Singapore is highly dependent on a global mobility. The city of six million inhabitants has built its economy on trade. It is therefore essential for the government to gradually reopen its borders to international travellers.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV ten days ago, Singapore's Minister for Transport, Ong Ye Kung, stated thateffective screening for viruses was an essential element in replacing quarantine and relaunching travel.
The arrival of antigenic tests and shorter turnaround times for obtaining PCR test results would boost the Asian metropolis' economy. " We need to gradually open up our borders and establish the key links that have made us a major hub." he said.
In another interview with Bloomberg, the Minister for Communications and Information, S. Iswaran, supported his transport colleague. " Staying open and connected" would be crucial to economic success after the pandemiche explained to the press agency.
While the whole of South East Asia is largely out of reach for foreign travellers, Singapore has already partially opened its borders.
A "Green Corridor" with Germany is a new step
The country has thus created "Green Corridors" to Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Brunei, etc.. Two destinations have just been added to this list: Hong Kong since 15 October and Indonesia since 26 October. While the agreement with Hong Kong also allows leisure travellers to return, only business travel is possible with Indonesia.
However, a further threshold towards the reopening of the country has just been crossed. Singapore and Germany have announced the imminent creation of a reciprocal "Green Corridor".. Germany will thus be the first country in Europe to benefit from this regulation. The "Corridor" allows travellers to avoid quarantine if they test negative for covid-19. Both countries will authorise travel for professional or official reasons.
According to a press release, residents of both countries will have to comply with preventive public health measures. The two governments will shortly be announcing the operational details.including health protocols and application procedures. The agreement could serve as a model for future agreements between Singapore and other European countries.
Singapore is one of the Asian countries with the best control of the spread of covid-19. As of 26 October, Singapore had just under 58,000 covid-positive cases (up 3 cases in 24 hours), including only 28 deaths. The government is considering relaxing restrictions on social distancing.
