December 22nd local time, the Ministry of Health of Singapore announced that Singapore will tighten border control measures against the United Kingdom due to the possible emergence of a more infectious variant of the novel coronavirus in the United Kingdom.
The announcement said that long-term permit holders and short-term visitors who have been to the UK in the past 14 days will be prohibited from entering Singapore or connecting flights in Singapore. The relevant ban came into effect at 23:59 on December 23.
At the same time, Singapore citizens and permanent residents returning to Singapore from the United Kingdom must undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing after arriving in Singapore and perform 14 days of home quarantine.
The announcement also noted that although the mutant strain was cited as more infectious, there is not enough evidence to determine whether the strain will affect the severity of the disease, antibody response, or vaccine efficacy.
