India is telling its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Singapore. Anyone arriving from the city-state will be screened.
It is not a ban on Singapore travellers, whatever the earlier headline suggested. The Straits Times, tracking which countries have restricted travel as the coronavirus spreads outside China, lists India among the places limiting entry from or screening travellers from Singapore. The advisory sits on that list with others that go further.
Who else is restricting Singapore
Israel also advises against non-essential travel to Singapore and bars foreign nationals who have been in Singapore in the last 14 days. Kuwait asks its citizens to avoid travel to Singapore and has told Kuwaitis already there to leave immediately.
Qatar advises against non-urgent travel. Thailand recommends against it as well, and suggests, though does not require, a two-week self-quarantine for people arriving from virus-hit countries.
India’s screening list is broader than Singapore alone. It covers arrivals from China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan. In stricter steps, India has banned travellers from the whole of Europe, Britain, Turkey, Malaysia, Afghanistan and the Philippines, and has cancelled all tourist visas from March 13.
Singapore’s own rules
Singapore has tightened its borders too. Singaporeans have been told to defer all travel overseas, and those returning, along with residents, must serve a 14-day isolation period. New visitors with recent travel history to Italy, France, Spain, Germany, mainland China, South Korea and Iran cannot enter or transit through Singapore. Singaporeans, residents and long-term pass holders who have been in those places in the past 14 days may enter but get a stay-home notice.
