MOH : 3 different channels to submit nucleic acid testing applications for essential mainland China travel from 1 September 2020

News (1)

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

On 26 August 2020, the Singapore Ministry of Health announced nucleic acid testing news.

The official website of the Ministry of Health issued a notice yesterday. Important information is as follows:

In response to the Chinese Embassy's announcement on 21 August 2020 requiring mandatory nucleic acid testing within five days before boarding, from 1 September 2020, all passengers who need to board a flight to leave Singapore for mainland China can submit applications to the following 3 government online addresses:

1. Ministry of Trade and Industry / MTI (covid_safetravel_ist@mti.gov.sg)

Essential business travel and employment-related

2. Ministry of Manpower / MOM (www.mom.gov.sg/feedback)

Individual holders of MOM-issued Work Permit, S Pass, Special Pass for processing private travel

3. Ministry of Health / MOH (moh_qsm@moh.gov.sg)

Travel related to education, compassionate reasons or otherwise

All travelers must ensure that there is sufficient time for testing and receiving test results before the flight. It may take no longer than 48 hours to get the test report.

Note: In Singapore, covid testing is based on Singapore’s testing strategy and prioritizes testing for high-risk populations. So, the current testing is only applicable to green channel approvers. Ref : https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19

News (2)

Time to receive notice of approval from MTI

According to a netizen, it takes nine hours to receive the approval for nucleic acid testing from MTI although the text from MTI has not been amended to reflect nucleic acid testing. Certainly, the authority has to find a way to speed up the approval.

On normal circumstances, it takes 3 to 14 working days to receive an online response from the relevant authorities.

Image : Singapore Eye

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News (3)

Publisher : Singapore Eye

Ref : https://www.yan.sg/heishuaingjiachne/

Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

Officials from the Chinese Embassy in Singapore give media interviews on issues related to nucleic acid testing of passengers travelling to China before boarding

 Recently, many people are concerned about the need for nucleic acid tests for passengers on flights to the People's Republic of China (PRC) before boarding. For this reason, Counselor Qiu Yuanxing of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the Chinese Embassy gave an interview to Singapore Eye on some issues. The questions and answers are as follows:

Q: How is the nucleic acid test arranged for passengers on flights to the PRC?

Qiu: Since the embassy announced on 21 August that passengers on flights to the PRC need to undergo nucleic acid testing in advance, the embassy has maintained communication and close cooperation with relevant Singaporean authorities to properly make relevant arrangements. On 25 August, the Ministry of Health of Singapore issued a pre-boarding nucleic acid test application process. Passengers on flights to the PRC after 1 September can apply for assistance from the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Health according to different reasons for going to the PRC. Passengers on flights before 31 August (inclusive) can contact the relevant airline to carry out nucleic acid testing according to the instructions. The embassy hereby reminds that when applying for nucleic acid testing, please note that the date of issuance of the test report must be within 5 days before boarding. After receiving the report, Chinese citizens should apply for a health code to the embassy in time, and foreign citizens should apply for a declaration of health status. If the arrangements for nucleic acid testing before boarding are adjusted, the embassy will release information in a timely manner.

Q: What is the current situation of flights between China and Singapore?

Qiu: The PRC and Singapore have friendly relations and close personnel exchanges. Even when the epidemic between the two sides was the most serious, the flights between the PRC and Singapore have not been suspended. Currently, China-Singapore flights are steadily recovering and have reached 13 flights per week. However, it is understood that due to the recent increase in imported cases on individual routes, some flights of China Eastern, Xiamen Air and Juneyao Air have suspended operations. Passengers going to the PRC in the near future are requested to inform the relevant airlines about flight changes, and if necessary, go through the procedures for seat refunds and changes in time.

Q: A recent online post reported that embassy staff responded to the consul's request for help on the WeChat official account of the embassy's consular service. The embassy has been negotiating with the Singapore side for a long time on the issue of nucleic acid testing before boarding. Is this the case?

Qiu: I noticed this post reposted on the Internet. The statement about "Singapore does not talk with the embassy" is not consistent with the facts. This is the personal understanding of this staff member. He does not directly participate in the communication between the embassy and the relevant departments of Singapore. He does not fully grasp the situation and does not represent the attitude of the embassy. We hereby clarify. The PRC and Singapore have been communicating and coordinating the implementation of remote nucleic acid testing for personnel going to the PRC. After the implementation of nucleic acid testing measures, the two sides will continue to strengthen cooperation to provide more convenience for travelers to the PRC.

Other Refs:

https://www.yan.sg/bujiechuangrenxing/, https://www.yan.sg/heishuaingjiachne/