In an ideal world, chocolate cake would cure diabetes, rich nations would share the Covid-19 vaccine, and all the countries Singapore has opened its heart to would return some affection.
But in reality, Singapore is once again the victim of unrequited love.
In addition to green lane agreements with a few countries, the Singapore government has allowed visitors from Vietnam, Brunei, New Zealand, and Australia.
But these countries haven’t given us the green light to visit them yet.
Now, another country has been added to that list, and once again, we’ve been friendzoned.
S’pore Allowing Visitors from Taiwan to Come in Without Serving SHN from 18 Dec
Residents in Taiwan will soon be able to visit Singapore without serving a stay-home notice (SHN), as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAS) said Singapore would lift border restrictions for the country.
Travellers can now apply for a single-entry Air Travel Pass (ATP) to enter Singapore from next Friday, as long as they are in Taiwan for 14 consecutive days before departure.
Once they arrive, all they have to do is undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and if they test negative, they will be allowed to go about their activities in Singapore.
Yes, they won’t have to serve an SHN and stare at four walls until they go insane.
Travellers from Taiwan must also download and activate the TraceTogether app before entering Singapore and keep it activated during their stay.
Even after leaving Singapore, the app must not be deleted for 14 days.
And in the unfortunate event that they contract Covid-19 in Singapore, they will be responsible for their own medical bills.
Singapore citizens, permanent residents, and long-term pass holders returning from Taiwan from 18 Dec will undergo the same procedure, and won’t have to serve an SHN either.
Travel to Taiwan Allowed, But Not Really
Here’s the sad part.
As part of the new travel guidelines, the Singapore gahmen is actually allowing us to travel to Taiwan.
However, leisure and social visits to Taiwan by foreign nationals remain banned.
The most recent change Taiwan has made in relation to its border restrictions to Singapore travellers was reducing the quarantine period for essential business travellers to just five days.
A Travel Bubble in the Works?
There’s a reason why we’ve chosen to open our borders and hearts to Taiwan visitors.
The East Asian country with a population of around 24 million has somehow only had 725 Covid-19 cases.
That isn’t a typo. They really only have 725 cases.
According to CNBC, Taiwan managed to defeat the coronavirus because it had a plan in place for years, which involved quarantines, contact tracing, and ensuring masks were widely available, among other things.
As our Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said: “We don’t unilaterally open to every place, every country that has very low infection, even though we trust their system. But let’s open bit by bit.”
Advertisements
As for whether Singapore will form an air travel bubble with Taiwan, Mr Ong said Singapore is willing, but it “takes two hands to clap”.
That, sadly, is the story of our lives during the pandemic.
Featured Image: Wirestock Images / Shutterstock.com
