SINGAPORE, Nov 11 — From November 18, all foreign travellers entering Singapore will need to take a Covid-19 test within the 72-hour period before leaving their departure point, unless they are from a list of places deemed as lower risk.

The travellers requiring the Covid-19 test will still be required to serve a 14-day stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore either at home or at a dedicated facility and will be tested again at the end of the period, the Ministry of Health said yesterday.

They will need to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which is the main test used in Singapore to diagnose Covid-19.

Right. now, the places assessed by the Singapore authorities to be lower risk for Covid-19 are: Australia, Brunei, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia (excluding Sabah state), New Zealand, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Travellers from these places are required to either take a Covid-19 test upon arrival or serve a seven-day stay-home notice with a Covid-19 test administered at the end of the quarantine period.

The new requirements apply to all travellers who are not Singapore citizens or permanent residents.

Travellers from Hong Kong who are not under the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble arrangement are exempt from the pre-departure test.

Travellers entering on the green or fast lane arrangements for essential business, official or work purposes will be subject to different requirements.

"They are not isolated under stay-home notice, but we manage the risk through strict quotas, and by requiring them to undergo Covid-19 tests before departure and upon arrival, and to follow a strict controlled itinerary limiting interactions with the wider community for the first 14 days,” the ministry said in a statement.

All travellers will be subject to the prevailing border measures upon entry, including staying in dedicated facilities for the stay-home notice at the traveller’s cost, where applicable, the ministry added.

It advised all travellers to refer to the authority’s Safe Travel website for the latest updates. — TODAY