All the Singapore citizens and long term passport holders entering the country will now necessarily have to serve 14 days self-isolation at a given stay-home facility by the government. Ministry Of Health (MOH) issued a statement that it will take effect from April 9. It is an extension of enhanced stay-home notice for travellers returning to Singapore.
Authorities issued stay-home-notice first time for travellers coming from the United States and the United Kingdom. It was later extended to ASEAN countries, France India and Switzerland. It is done to protect the citizens from the transmission of the virus from imported cases.
Due to the increase in the number of returnees, the government has widened the capacity to accommodate them. Authorities may have to prioritize based on the region and risk if they face constraints due to the larger number of returnees than expected. "All returnees who disregarded prevailing travel advisories and left Singapore from 27 March 2020, would be required to bear the full cost of their 14-day SHN at dedicated SHN facilities," read the statement.
Singapore passes COVID Act
In first expansion of stay-home notice on April 4, MOH said that they are working with hotel operators in order to provide training to their staff to put proper security arrangements. They will also be trained for how precautions are to be taken to control the infection.
Singapore has passed the COVID Act on April 7 that comes in force on April 8. Ministry Of Health can make temporary regulations that will be called "Control Orders" under Section 34(1) of the Act. They can take measures with the purpose of preventing the citizens and protecting them against the spread of the virus.
There have been 1,481 cases confirmed out of which 627 are active and 377 are discharged after making full recovery. Six people have died in Singapore so far and 29 cases are in critical condition. Infocomm Media Development Authority announced an initiative that will provide more content to viewers in order to help them pass their time while sitting at home in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.
