Singapore will be adding two countries to the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme, under which travellers will only need to take a Covid-19 swab test after arrival and before departure in Singapore.
Vaccinated travellers from Switzerland and Australia will be able to enter Singapore without serving stay-home notices from November 8, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) announced on Tuesday evening.
All Singapore Airlines flights from Switzerland to Singapore will be offered under the VTL program from November 8, with flight SQ345 operating daily between Singapore and Zurich.
Swiss Ambassador to Singapore Fabrice Filliez called the VTL link between the two financial centers «an important and most welcomed step reconnecting our countries and our people.»
Important Partners
«The VTL is of particular significance for Switzerland and confirms the strong and mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation between our countries,» the ambassador told finews.asia in comments.
The Alpine nation is among Singapore's top investment and trading partners. There are around 400 Swiss companies, including them large banks, insurance companies, pharma and industry corporates, as well as research and education institutions, and around 3,000 Swiss expatriates in the city-state. In terms of leisure travel, Singapore was the second most important source market for Switzerland in Southeast Asia in pre-Covid times.
«Apart from these economic considerations, I am also glad that many families will be able to see their relatives more easily than before. Many haven’t seen their loved ones for nearly two years,» Filliez said.
Expanded Quota
«We are in discussions with other partners, including our regional neighbors, to reopen safely to each other, and restore our close connectivity,» S. Iswaran, Transport Minister, said.
The VTL scheme currently includes Germany, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, with South Korea to be added on November 15.
Switzerland's borders are open to all travellers from Singapore. Australia plans to open its borders to skilled workers and international students by year’s end, authorities said on Wednesday. With the announcement of the new VTLs, Singapore will also be expanding its daily quota of VTL arrivals from 3,000 to 4,000.
Story has been updated with comments from the Swiss ambassador to Singapore.
