Singapore Airlines to stop accepting new bookings for all Vaccinated Travel Lane flights

Singapore Airlines will not be able to sell new Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) aeroplane tickets for travel into the nation from Thursday, 23 December to 20 January, as the government has tightened its borders in response to an increase of imported COVID-19 cases. The new border measures were announced by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on 22 December. The action comes as the number of imported cases has reached a new high with the appearance of the Omicron variant, resulting in a setback for Singapore in attempting to reopen its borders thus far.

The VTL scheme permits fully vaccinated visitors from certain countries to enter Singapore without having to wait for quarantine. This allows for quarantine-free travel to countries that have already opened their borders to Singapore. According to the ministry, the decision will help restrict Singapore's exposure to imported Omicron COVID-19 cases. Passengers who already have a VTL flight or bus ticket and meet all other VTL conditions will not be affected by the freeze, and can continue to travel under the quarantine-free travel plan.

CAAS to temporarily reduce VTL quotas and ticket sales

In another measure to prevent exposure to imported Omicron cases, the authorities will temporarily reduce VTL quotas and ticket sales for travel after20  January.  The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) announced that total ticket sales for VTL flights into Singapore will be capped at 50% of the permitted quota from 21 January. It was also stated that further safeguards would be put in place to protect the aviation sector. To begin, all airport employees who contact arriving customers, including those who work in public places like taxi stands, would be required to wear greater personal protective equipment, for example, N95 masks and face shields.

In light of the new regulations, no new VTL bus tickets will be sold for travel into Singapore or Malaysia between 11:59 p.m. on 22 December 2021 and 11:59 p.m. on 20 January 2022, according to a separate release from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).  All VTL bus passengers can continue to travel under the system, and those who are neither Singapore citizens nor permanent residents can apply for their Vaccinated Travel Pass if they have not previously done so.

Singapore has reported 71 confirmed cases of Omicron

According to the Ministry of Health, there have been 71 confirmed Omicron cases in Singapore to date, 65 of which were imported and six of which were native. MOH reported 195 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, 45 of which were Omicron infections. The health ministry warned in November that anyone who is suspected or confirmed to be infected with the Omicron type will not be allowed to recover at home. They'll be transported to the National Center for Infectious Diseases for isolation and disease management.

(With inputs from agencies)

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