Singapore To Open For Business Travel In January Under ‘Bubble’ Arrangement

Singapore will allow a limited number of business, official and high economic value travelers from all countries to come to the city-state and stay at dedicated facilities under a “bubble” arrangement.

Applications for the new travel arrangement, which was announced by the Ministry of Trade and Industry on Tuesday, will open next month. Travelers who qualify will be allowed into Singapore from the second half of January for up to 14 days.

The travelers will reside in dedicated facilities and undergo testing several times during their two-week stay while observing all existing safety measures. While in the “bubble” facility, travelers can conduct meetings behind floor-to-ceiling dividers, which will reduce the risk of any infection. “This will facilitate essential global business exchanges and support the revival of Singapore’s air hub status and hospitality sector,” the ministry’s statement read.

Tourism, including business travel, is a significant part of Singapore’s economy. Earlier this month, the World Economic Forum announced that its next annual conference, which is usually held in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, will be held in Singapore.

The country of less than 6 million people has seen just a trickle of coronavirus cases in recent weeks. Singapore reported less than 20 new daily cases for the past 30 days. Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday announced that the city-state will progress to the third and final phase of its reopening on Dec. 28. Also on Monday, Prime Minister Lee announced that the first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine will reach Singapore by the end of the year, and have secured enough vaccines for everyone by the third quarter of 2021.