Singapore: Singapore is taking steps to be able to start quarantine-free travel for fully vaccinated travellers from September.

The announcement marks only one of the few times the popular South Asian tourist destination put a timeline for easing travel restrictions and reopening borders.

Thanks to the Singapore government’s initiatives, the number of coronavirus cases in the city-state has remained low. Whilst the country is now witnessing some spike in cases, yet the seven-day average of new cases remains only 158.

At the same time, the country is also making swift progress in vaccinating its population. Till now, Singapore has managed to vaccinate 74 per cent of the population. This major success has led to the planning of reopening the country’s borders for other international vaccinated travellers.

On July 26, Singapore’s Finance Minister Lawrence Wong spoke at the Parliament and outlined the nation’s plan for the future, with vaccination being key to the relaxation of any restriction or border policies.

In his speech, Wong said, “While other countries may have come to terms with a certain level of Covid-19 cases and even deaths, this is not the choice we want to make in Singapore.

At the same time, there is no need to wait for everyone to be vaccinated before we begin to open up. That would mean holding back the entire reopening timeline until much later in the year, which is not tenable.”

Wong further mentioned that the easing of any restriction will only be offered to vaccinated travellers, who are “much better protected against the effects of the virus”.

Wong claimed that the relaxation of their strict border policies would likely come in September when 80 per cent of the population are expected to be vaccinated, and that vaccinated and tested travellers would be able to enter without needing to serve the 14-day stay home notice in a hotel.

Unvaccinated travellers, on the other hand, will have to comply with the existing travel requirements, under which vacation travel for Americans and Europeans is not currently possible.