Land VTL travellers from Malaysia must take on-arrival ART here
All travellers from Malaysia entering Singapore using the land Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) will be required to take an antigen rapid test (ART) upon arrival from 8am today.
Travellers can take the ART at the two land VTL arrival points - Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange and Queen Street Terminal, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said in a statement yesterday.
In response to queries, an MTI spokesman said travellers who take the on-arrival ART and test positive will be required to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at any Swab and Send Home clinic.
"Those who test positive for the PCR will be issued a 10-day isolation order and put on the home recovery programme," he added.
Travellers will need to make e-payment for the ART at the testing centre, said MTI.
The latest rules come amid the emergence of the B.1.1.529 strain of the coronavirus called Omicron. This latest Covid-19 variant has been detected in Botswana, Australia, Israel, Belgium, Hong Kong and parts of Europe.
CONCERN
There is growing concern that Omicron is more contagious. It has a large number of mutations and is believed to have an increased risk of reinfection compared with other variants of concern.
The MTI spokesman said: "The on-arrival ART will allow us to reduce the risks of spread of B.1.1.529 to Singapore, and enable us to progressively expand the land VTL in a safe and calibrated manner."
Last Wednesday, the Singapore authorities said people coming to Singapore from Malaysia must test negative in a pre- departure PCR test or professionally administered ART - done within two days before departure.
The pre-departure test also applies to those travelling from Singapore to Malaysia, along with an on-arrival ART to be taken at Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal.
Quarantine-free travel between Singapore and Malaysia comes after nearly 20 months of border restrictions imposed in March last year.
Up to 2,880 people will be able to travel each day, with 1,440 travellers in each direction.
Travellers have to be citizens, permanent residents or long-term pass holders - such as holders of a work permit, employment pass, student pass or long-term visit pass - of the country they are entering.
They must also use one of 64 daily designated VTL bus services that will run from 7.30am to 9.30pm every day.
Travellers who do not use the VTL bus service must comply with border control measures such as serving a seven-day stay-home notice.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now