Well, it was fun while it lasted.
If you’ve not heard the news and are about to book tickets to Denmark, you might want to read through this article before doing so.
Yesterday (11 Nov), the Embassy of Denmark announced that Singapore had been reclassified as a “high risk country for travel to Europe”. Consequently, it imposed a quarantine on travellers from Singapore, even though it’s part of our Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme.
All travellers arriving in Denmark from Singapore must now be tested upon arrival and self-isolate for 10 days. If they get a negative result, the isolation period will end on day four.
Reader: Great
Oh, but it could get worse. Much, much worse.
What The Denmark Compulsory Quarantine for VTL Means for Other VTLs
See, Denmark had adjusted their risk assessment after the Council of the European Union removed Singapore from a list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted.
At the moment, we have VTL arrangements with 10 countries in Europe, namely Germany, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Britain, France, Italy, and Denmark.
With the exception of Britain and Switzerland, all the European countries under our VTL scheme are member states of the European Union.
While EU member states are not legally obliged to follow the recommendations of the Council of the European Union, they have referenced these recommendations when imposing or lifting border curbs.
This is why some believe that there will be more border restrictions imposed on travellers from Singapore if our COVID-19 situation does not improve.
Netherlands Classes Singapore as High-Risk Area
The Netherlands, too, has classed Singapore as a very high-risk area for COVID-19.
Now, travellers from Singapore will have to present a negative COVID-19 test result when travelling to the Netherlands.
On its website, it also said that travellers from Singapore will have to quarantine upon their arrival, though specifics have not been revealed yet.
Rules Apply to Both Vaccinated & Unvaccinated Travellers
In the case of Denmark, their new requirements for travellers from Singapore apply to both vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers. This is because Denmark does not recognise Singapore’s vaccination certificate.
This is also the case for the Netherlands, where all travellers from Singapore aged 12 and above will be subjected to the country’s new travel requirements, regardless of vaccination status.
Other Countries Under VTL Scheme
Even if more and more European countries impose travel restrictions on us, there are still other available holiday destinations, provided you’re fully vaccinated.
Apart from these 10 countries, we have VTL arrangments with Australia, Canada,and the US. We are also launching VTLs with South Korea on 15 Nov and Malaysia on 29 Nov.
So, it’s not all bad. At least we can travel, right? Do make sure to check each country’s border restrictions before booking tickets, of course.
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