Kids aged up to 12 can go overseas under Vaccinated Travel Lane
They must be accompanied by vaccinated traveller and must take PCR tests
Unvaccinated children aged 12 and below will now be allowed to travel quarantine-free under a vaccinated travel scheme, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) announced yesterday.
Children can travel on Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights as long as they are accompanied by a vaccinated traveller who meets all requirements, the CAAS said in a statement.
They will also have to take two Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests - within 48 hours of departure to Singapore and on arrival. Children aged two and below do not have to take PCR tests.
Last Saturday, the Government announced an expansion of the VTL scheme to nine other countries, including the United States and Britain. Many parents expressed unhappiness that unvaccinated children could not travel under the VTL.
Transport Minister S. Iswaran acknowledged yesterday that many Singaporeans and their families were keen to travel and allowing unvaccinated children under 12 on the VTL "helps to open up a few more possibilities for them".
The initial decision to exclude unvaccinated children was made out of extra caution, he told The Straits Times.
From Oct 19, vaccinated travellers will be able to fly to Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Britain and the United States. The scheme will be extended to South Korea from Nov 15.
In all, there are 11 countries on the VTL, including Germany and Brunei. Brunei, however, currently does not allow leisure travel.
CAUTION
South Korea also currently does not allow in children who do not qualify for vaccination.
Urging caution for those who opt to travel, especially with children, Mr Iswaran said: "It is important that we understand the circumstances in the countries you might be considering to visit.
"It is important that we also appreciate that their requirements and regimes are different and not one size fits all."
He said about 3,000 travellers would be able to arrive in Singapore daily - a far cry from pre-pandemic days.
"But it is a significant step up from where we are today."
Mr Iswaran also described the scheme as a "pathfinder" towards helping international aviation grow safely.
"If we can all work together, then there is a good chance that we can further enhance these vaccinated travel lanes, whether it is in terms of coverage or capacity," he said.
While parents welcomed the news, some said they would hold off on immediate travel plans.
"We are looking forward to travel in the new year, when airlines increase capacity to destinations such as the United Kingdom, and Singapore hopefully opens more VTL destinations like Japan," said Mr Aaron Kong, 41, a consultant and father to a five-year-old boy.
Ms Alicia Seah, director of public relations and communications at Dynasty Travel, said: "We do not anticipate a large spike in queries for bookings with young children to Europe." She expects families to make plans next year instead.
'Important to reconnect' with 11 countries under VTL scheme: Iswaran
The 11 countries under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme accounted for about 10 per cent of Changi Airport's passenger traffic before the pandemic, said Transport Minister S. Iswaran yesterday.
And while the expanded scheme will allow about 3,000 travellers to enter Changi a day - a far cry from before Covid-19 - it will still be a significant step from now, he added.
Mr Iswaran was responding during an interview with The Straits Times to a question on the extent to which the additional nine countries on the VTL scheme would boost Singapore's aviation and tourism industries, given that they are not the Republic's top markets in terms of international passenger arrivals.
TRADING PARTNERS
From Oct 19, vaccinated travellers will be able to fly to Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Britain and the United States. The scheme will be extended to South Korea from Nov 15, for a total of 11 countries including Germany and Brunei. Mr Iswaran said the 11 countries are an important set of partners.
"They are among our top 20 trading partners, and they've got sizeable business communities and families here in Singapore. So it's important that we reconnect with them," he said.
Separately, Singapore Airlines yesterday announced that it will add VTL flights to its line-up for the year-end holiday season, allowing more North American travellers to enter Singapore quarantine-free. From Dec 2 to Feb 15, the national carrier will operate twice-weekly VTL flights from Seattle and Vancouver to Singapore.
It will also convert its daily non-stop service from San Francisco to Singapore to a VTL flight, starting on Oct 20. It will continue operating non-VTL flights from San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver for customers not eligible for the VTL option. Tickets for the Singapore-Seattle-Vancouver service go on sale at noon today.
With the additions, the SIA group's VTL network now comprises 17 cities. SIA currently operates VTL flights to Bandar Seri Begawan, Frankfurt and Munich. It has plans to operate such flights to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, Paris, Rome and Seoul.
Scoot will begin VTL flights to Berlin on Oct 20. - THE STRAITS TIMES
Ten more seniors die of Covid; Singapore sees 2,263 cases
Ten seniors aged between 73 and 93 died from complications linked to Covid-19, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday.
This takes Singapore's death toll to 172. Of the seven men and three women, four were unvaccinated, three were partially vaccinated and three were vaccinated. All were Singaporeans or permanent residents, and all of them had underlying medical conditions, MOH said in its daily update, without giving details.
Of those who have died of such complications over the past 28 days, 28.7 per cent were fully vaccinated and the rest were either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, said the MOH statement.
MOH reported a total of 2,263 new Covid-19 infections as at noon yesterday - a drop from the 2,809 cases reported on Sunday.
Yesterday's cases comprise 1,949 in the community, 306 in migrant worker dormitories and eight imported cases.
Most of these cases were tested at the weekend, when there are typically fewer swab tests done at public health preparedness clinics and polyclinics, MOH said.
The local cases include 388 people above 60 years old.
Yesterday's cases take Singapore's total number of infections to 129,229.
Over the last 28 days, 98.5 per cent of local infected cases were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, 1.2 per cent required oxygen supplementation and 0.1 per cent had been in the intensive care unit (ICU). Among those who required oxygen supplementation and ICU care, 49.3 per cent were fully vaccinated, and 50.7 per cent unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
As at noon yesterday, 1,698 patients were in hospital. A total of 308 people needed oxygen support and 42 were in ICU.
There were 16,001 people on home recovery, 2,818 in community care facilities and 342 in Covid-19 treatment facilities. - THE STRAITS TIMES
By the numbers
2,263
New cases
2,255
In community, dormitories
8
Imported
172
Deaths
1,698
In hospital
129,229
Total cases
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