Wuhan coronavirus: Singapore to widen travel restrictions to all new visitors who recently travelled to mainland China
www.channelnewsasia.com
SINGAPORE: In an effort to minimise the risk of community spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, new visitors with recent travel history to mainland China will not be allowed to enter Singapore, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said on Friday (Jan 31).
These visitors will also not be allowed to transit in Singapore. These restrictions will come into effect at 11.59pm on Saturday.
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The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will also, with immediate effect, suspend the issuance of all forms of new visas to those with Chinese passports. Singapore's status as a visa-free transit facility will be suspended for Chinese passport holders.
Previously issued short-term and multiple-visit visas for those with Chinese passports will also be suspended. Thus those who hold such visas will not be allowed into Singapore during this period.
Earlier this week, the restrictions only applied to new visitors who had recently travelled to China's Hubei province.
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However, China recently announced that the number of reported infections in the country had doubled since Jan 28 to more than 9,000 and that the likelihood of widespread community transmission in other parts of China is now high.
"As a result, we are likely to see a sharper rise in the local transmission of the virus in Chinese cities beyond the Hubei province in the coming days," said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a press release on Friday.
READ: Wuhan coronavirus in Singapore - What we know about the confirmed cases
At the briefing, Mr Wong also said that returning Singaporeans will be issued a travel advisory and asked to take a 14-day leave of absence.
Commissioner of ICA Marvin Sim, who was at the briefing, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore will be disseminating the information to all airlines to ensure smooth implementation of the new measures.
Cabin crew who have to travel to China as part of their job will not be subject to the new measures, but in consultation with the Health Ministry, will have to take precautionary measures, he said.
READ: Wuhan virus outbreak - At a glance
“These additional travel restrictions on top of all that we have already introduced over the past few days will enable us to limit the number of new cases here and to reduce the risk of community spread in Singapore,” said Mr Wong, who co-chairs a ministerial task force set up to deal with the coronavirus situation.
Responding to a question from the media, Mr Wong stressed that the restrictions are not nationality-based.
"It is not a nationality issue," he said. "The motivation is the origins of the virus and that beyond Hubei, the virus is now spreading to other parts of China - as we have said, there is assessment that this is happening."
Meanwhile, MOH's director of medical services Kenneth Mak said there remains no evidence of community spread. Of those suspected of having the coronavirus, 164 of them have been ruled out while test results are still pending for 49 others.
“The situation remains fluid, it is constantly changing. We do not rule out taking further measures,” Mr Wong said.
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