Germany to classify Singapore as 'high risk area', with mandatory entry registration for travellers

SINGAPORE: Germany will classify Singapore as a “high-risk area” from Sunday (Oct 24), the country’s embassy in Singapore announced.

Those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can still travel to Germany without the need for quarantine, but they must complete a digital entry registration before entering the country, the embassy said in a Facebook post.

According to Germany’s federal foreign office website, an entry registration is required for travellers who have visited a high-risk area or an area of variant concern in the last 10 days. They must carry proof of registration with them upon entry.

Unvaccinated children under 12 years old will need to quarantine for five days upon arrival.

Germany is one of 11 countries that Singapore has established vaccinated travel lanes with. Travellers to these countries need not be quarantined, but they must test negative for COVID-19 in pre-departure and on-arrival tests.

Apart from Singapore, four other countries - Bulgaria, Cameroon, Croatia and the Republic of Congo - were added to Germany's "high-risk" list.

Singapore on Friday reported 3,637 new COVID-19 cases and 14 more deaths.

Earlier this month, the US had raised its travel alert for Singapore to the highest risk level due to the current COVID-19 situation.

Asked if such advisories would impact negotiations on vaccinated travel lanes, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said countries issue the advisories to alert their citizens about the higher infection rates in Singapore and to take precautions while they are here.

“I think they are reflecting on the fact that we are going through a big wave, and therefore infection rates are higher, but there’s a lot of goodwill between these partners,” Mr Ong said at a press conference by the COVID-19 task force.

“We all know that this is a rite of passage we have to go through, at some point it will stabilise … and we all want to get together, maintain our connections (and) our exchanges.

“And so it should not, and I don’t think it will, stop us from continuing our joint initiative to develop vaccinated travel lanes.”