SINGAPORE: As confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus increased to seven in Singapore, local authorities announced enhanced measures on Tuesday (Jan 28) to prevent the epidemic from spreading within the country.
The new measures mainly targeted people who are recent travellers from the Chinese province of Hubei or who hold Chinese passports issued in Hubei.
According to the announcement, regarding visitors with Chinese passports issued in Hubei, Singapore has suspended the issuance of all forms of new visas, entries with short-term visas and multiple-visit visas, and the use of visa-free transit facility.
For travellers, including foreign visitors and Singaporean residents, who have visited Hubei in the last 14 days who are now in the country, the Health Ministry of Singapore has started contacting those individuals to make sure the higher risk group are properly checked or quarantined.
The ministry said around 2,000 such individuals will be affected, including about 1,000 with short-term visas.
For Singaporean citizens or long-term pass holders with travel history to Hubei in the last 14 days, they must be quarantined at home on their return, the authorities said, adding that quarantine orders have legal force, with severe penalties for non-compliance, including possible jail time.
In addition, starting from midday Wednesday, Singapore will allow no entry or transit through the country for all new visitors with recent Hubei travel history within the last 14 days, or holders of Chinese passports issued in Hubei.
Two new cases of novel coronavirus have been confirmed in Singapore, bringing the total number of infected people here to seven, according to the Health Ministry of Singapore.
The infection rate in Singapore is accelerating, although there is yet no evidence that the virus has spread within the city state, said the ministry. - Xinhua/Asian News Network
The new measures mainly targeted people who are recent travellers from the Chinese province of Hubei or who hold Chinese passports issued in Hubei.
According to the announcement, regarding visitors with Chinese passports issued in Hubei, Singapore has suspended the issuance of all forms of new visas, entries with short-term visas and multiple-visit visas, and the use of visa-free transit facility.
For travellers, including foreign visitors and Singaporean residents, who have visited Hubei in the last 14 days who are now in the country, the Health Ministry of Singapore has started contacting those individuals to make sure the higher risk group are properly checked or quarantined.
The ministry said around 2,000 such individuals will be affected, including about 1,000 with short-term visas.
For Singaporean citizens or long-term pass holders with travel history to Hubei in the last 14 days, they must be quarantined at home on their return, the authorities said, adding that quarantine orders have legal force, with severe penalties for non-compliance, including possible jail time.
In addition, starting from midday Wednesday, Singapore will allow no entry or transit through the country for all new visitors with recent Hubei travel history within the last 14 days, or holders of Chinese passports issued in Hubei.
Two new cases of novel coronavirus have been confirmed in Singapore, bringing the total number of infected people here to seven, according to the Health Ministry of Singapore.
The infection rate in Singapore is accelerating, although there is yet no evidence that the virus has spread within the city state, said the ministry. - Xinhua/Asian News Network
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