Latest Travel News
Singapore Opens Up
02 October 2020
Singapore opens to Australian travellers but can we get there and is it worth it?
Singapore is continuing to lift its border restrictions to countries where COVID-19 is considered largely under control, but Victoria will be excluded from the Australia-Singapore arrangement until the state makes more progress in battling its ‘second wave’ pandemic outbreak.
Singapore’s ‘green lane’ corridors are for essential business and government travel, the, but Australia-Singapore travel agreement extends to any visitors, including tourists and conventional business trips.
In order to visit Singapore, you must apply for a free Air Travel Pass between seven and thirty calendar days prior to the visitor’s intended date of entry into Singapore, according to the Singapore Government’s SafeTravel website, with the pass is valid for a single entry into Singapore anytime from the visitor’s intended date of entry and up to seven calendar days after.
Visitors must also download Singapore’s TraceTogether app onto their Apple or Android smartphone and hold a booking for non-residential (such as hotel) accommodation in Singapore for up to two days after their arrival while awaiting the results on their on-arrival COVID-19 test, with that test taken at Changi Airport at a cost of S$300 and visitors encouraged to register and pre-pay for the test before departing for Singapore.
You must then take private transportation, taxi, or private hire car from the airport to your accommodation and remain in isolation until notified of a negative test result.
Restart Timetable Updated
30 September 2020
There may be a light starting to appear at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, under an updated Tourism Restart Timetable which envisages the removal of hard state borders by 01 Dec and hotel quarantine caps gone by 01 Mar 2021. The revised plan was endorsed by the Tourism Restart Taskforce at a meeting last Fri, reflecting “what industry feels are realistic restart targets for governments and health authorities to consider given the current COVID conditions,” according to the minutes of the meeting. The timetable focuses on the easing of restrictions in Vic, followed by state border reopenings and the restart of both inbound and outbound international travel. Quarantine caps on arrivals would be lifted by 01 Mar, while domestic expedition cruising could start as soon as Nov followed by a phase-in of domestic, NZ and Pacific voyages which would be in full operation by Feb next year. During its meeting the taskforce expressed “deep frustration” over recurring messages that tourism is OK as some businesses are doing well from instrastate travel. “While a small proportion may be busy, this is by far not indicative of the entire industry”.
Europe adopts 'game-changing' 15-minute COVID test
30 September 2020
The test is part of a new class of quicker screening tools named for the identifying proteins called antigens they detect on the surface of SARS-CoV-2.
Becton Dickinson expects to begin selling the test, which runs on the company’s cellphone-sized BD Veritor Plus System, in European markets at the end of October. It will likely be used by emergency departments, general practitioners and pediatricians.