And RM6145 if you have to serve your 14 day quarantine at a government designated facility
As travelling restrictions slowly lift, countries around the world are reopening their borders again. Of course, strict SOPs are in place to ensure that there’s no transmission of Covid-19 and for Singapore, one of these SOPs involves going through a Covid-19 swab test.. at your expense.
Just as Malaysia has done, the Singaporean government will no longer be bearing the cost of tests. This essentially means that travellers will have to pay the S$200 (RM614) themselves, a few days before their stay-home notice (SHN) ends.
It gets even more expensive if you’re not a Singaporean or permanent resident and you have to spend your 14 day SHN in a government designated facility. The cost of that is S$2,000 (RM6145, inclusive of GST). Yup. These are all costs that were previously borne by the government of Singapore but as borders reopen, a more sustainable position must be found.
This “new norm” does not apply for everyone though. People travelling into Singapore who came from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Mainland China, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam in the last consecutive 14 days can save on the S$2,000 as they will be allowed to serve their SHN at their place of residence.
The same applies for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents. Long Term Pass holders on the other hand have the option of serving the 14 day SHN at either a place of residence owned by them/family members or a a hotel at their own cost.
For those of you who Singapore based professionals who need to travel frequently for work, Singapore’s Ministry of Health is looking at ways they can facilitate business travel with the necessary safeguards. For now though, short term visitors are still a big no, unless they’re listed under those with the green/”fast lane” arrangements or have special prior approval.
This new rules will come into effect starting 17 June at 11.59pm.
