Singapore will ban all short-term visitors from entering or transiting through the country in an effort to stem a second wave of coronavirus cases.
Starting at 11.59pm on March 23, short-term visitors, irrespective of nationality, will not be allowed to enter or transit via the city-state. The labour ministry will continue to grant entry to holders of work permits.
The health ministry said these new measures came “in view of heightened risk of importation of Covid-19 cases into Singapore”.
The number of infections has more than doubled to 432 in the past week. Almost 80 per cent of new patients in the past three days were imported. Reporting by FT’s Stefania Palma from Singapore
Residents, citizens and holders of a long-term visit pass returning to Singapore will undergo a 14-day home quarantine.
Vietnam issues blanket ban on foreigners entering the country
A photo taken on Feb 2, 2020, shows travellers at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.PHOTO: AFP
Vietnam on Sunday began barring entry to all foreigners, including people of Vietnamese descent, after a spike in new coronavirus cases was traced back to people arriving from abroad, including the UK. FT’s John Reed reports from Bangkok.
The country’s prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, on Saturday issued a directive announcing the move and suspending flights carrying foreign passengers, without giving a time frame for how long it would stay in place.
Vietnam’s communist government has adopted some of the toughest policies seen in Asia to contain Covid-19, including mandatory 14-day quarantine for arriving foreigners.
Foreign experts, business managers, and highly skilled workers will be exempted from the entry ban, but will need to present a certificate showing they are free of the virus, and follow quarantine procedures, Mr Phuc said.
Vietnam Airlines, the state-owned carrier, on Friday, announced it was suspending all flights from abroad until the end of April.
Vietnam has reported 94 coronavirus cases and no deaths to date.