Singapore extends quarantine to 21 days for most travelers

Singapore is set to extend quarantine periods for travelers who are entering the country from nations that have high coronavirus positivity rates to 21 days.

The move, which was announced on Tuesday, comes as the country implements stricter rules on social gatherings and tightens mitigation measures in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to Reuters.

The extension will increase the period of quarantine from 14 days to 21 days and will go into effect on Saturday.

Along with the quarantine requirement, Singapore will extend checks on where incoming travelers have been prior to entering the country. The checks will require information about the traveler’s whereabouts three weeks prior to arrival in Singapore, upping the time frame from the current two-week period, the news outlet noted.

The new restrictions represent Singapore’s strictest coronavirus precautions since the country went into partial lockdown last year.

The country’s health minister told Reuters that vaccinations have helped to mitigate the spread. Just nine of the 40 COVID-19 infections detected at a local hospital occurred among fully vaccinated people.

“Because of vaccination, these cases are either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, and none has required oxygen so far,” health minister Gan Kim Yong said. “Therefore vaccination remains an important tool to help lower the risk of infection and severe disease.”

The news comes as India has experienced a massive surge in coronavirus cases and deaths. The South Asian country recorded more than 400,000 cases in one day over the weekend, and several countries, including the U.S., have sent supplies to mitigate the coronavirus spread.