Singapore races to open borders, warning its future is at stake

Singapore is exploring ways to safely open its borders after the coronavirus outbreak led to record losses at the nation’s flag carrier and decimated traffic at Changi Airport.

A multiministry taskforce is studying how Singapore could let in more travelers and reviewing proposals by stakeholders and the public, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said in Parliament on Tuesday. The city-state will accept visitors as long as they agree to testing and tracing, he said.

“The message we want to send to the world is this – Singapore has started to re-open its borders,” Ong said. “What is at stake is not just hundreds of thousands of jobs, but our status as an air hub, Singapore’s relevance to the world, our economic survival, and in turn, the ability to determine our own future.”

Singapore has pledged about S$100 billion ($74 billion) in stimulus measures to fight the effects of the pandemic, including wage subsidies and digital-transformation initiatives. Visitor numbers at Changi, once Asia’s third-busiest airport for international flights, has slumped to the lowest since it was built in 1981 and it is now handling only 1.5% of pre-Covid passenger traffic.

Among measures to make travel easier, Singapore could replace its 14-day quarantine requirement upon arrival with stricter and repeated testing and close tracking, Ong said.

Changi, which currently has the capability to swab as many as 10,000 passengers a day, will add a dedicated testing laboratory in the next few months, he said.

Singapore has eased border restrictions for those traveling from New Zealand and Brunei, testing such passengers at the airport but allowing them to forgo quarantine. Travelers from Australia and Vietnam will be allowed similar access starting Thursday. Singapore has also agreed with China, South Korea, Japan and other countries to allow visitors for business and official purposes.