Singapore health Ministry has announced the resumption of flights from India and other South Asian Countries starting 26th October. In a statement issued on Saturday, the ministry said that the travelers will have to undergo a mandatory quarantine of 10 days. The decision was taken after reviewing the current COVID-19 scenario in India and neighboring countries.

In a statement, the ministry said, "All travelers with a 14-day travel history to Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka prior to departure to Singapore will be allowed to enter and transit through Singapore from 11.59 pm on Oct 26." The statement further added, "travelers from these countries will be subject to Category IV border measures. They will still be required to serve their 10-day stay-home notice (SHN) at dedicated SHN facilities."

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In a statement, the ministry said it has examined the Covid-19 situation in the six South Asian countries to which it had previously been closed. Ong Ye Kung, the health minister, stated during a virtual press conference that the situation in these countries has been stable for some years.

The Straits Times reported Ong as adding, "There is no longer a need for severe measures that prevent passengers from certain nations from landing here." Previously, Singapore had permitted fully vaccinated visitors from 15 more countries to come without having to go through quarantine. Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates are among them.

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COVID situation in Singapore

The announcements came after the task force said on Wednesday that the tighter curbs currently in place - including restricting group sizes for dining into two people - will be extended for a month till November 21, 2021, the Straits Times reported. Among these, from Jan 1, 2022, only employees who are fully vaccinated, or have recovered from Covid-19 within the past 270 days, can return to the workplace.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health, Singapore reported in a news release that Singapore recorded 3,598 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, increasing the total to 169,261. There were 2,804 new cases recorded in the community, 790 in migrant worker dorms, and four imported cases among the new cases.