Singapore has lifted the ban it imposed on 10 African countries over the Omicron variant of coronavirus, while authorities expect a rapid doubling of cases in the coming days.
Singapore had previously announced that long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to Botswana, Eswatini, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe within the last 14 days will not be allowed entry into Singapore or transit through Singapore for a period of four weeks following initial reports on Omicron cases in these countries/regions.
Singapore will not be extending these border restrictions, taking into account global developments on the Omicron variant.
All passengers with 14-day travel history to Botswana, Eswatini, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe prior to departure to Singapore will be allowed to enter and transit through Singapore from 26 December 2021, 2359 hours, and will be subjected to border measures for Category IV countries/regions.
‘Given the transmissibility of Omicron and the open nature of our society, it is inevitable that Omicron will spread in our community, as it has in over 100 countries already. In the coming days and weeks, we should expect more community cases, and rapid doubling of cases. This is again a process we need to go through, in order to live with COVID-19. We have done whatever we can to prepare ourselves for it; especially in administering boosters to our population and starting vaccinations for our children. We seek the cooperation and understanding of everyone, as we weather through an Omicron wave in the next one to two months’…Singapore Ministry of Health concludes.
