On the 21st, the Singapore government announced that it will ease immigration restrictions for new coronavirus infections from countries and regions with low infection risk. First, New Zealand (NZ) and Brunei will no longer require quarantine upon entry from September. China, Australia (excluding Victoria), Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Macau are also "low risk" and the number of days to quarantine when entering the country is shortened from 14 days to 7 days. (Other countries, including Japan, will still require 14 days of quarantine.) However, travelers from NZ and Brunei must apply in advance, and can be accepted from September 1st, and can be traveled after 8th. On arrival you will be obliged to carry out a PCR test at the airport.
Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) will suspend operations with three countries on January 30 for a "mutual green lane (RGL) contract" that allows short-term business travelers to enter the country for up to four days. Announced.
The target is Malaysia, Germany, and South Korea, and the suspension period is 3 months from February 1. (For travelers who are already allowed to travel to Singapore, entry is permitted)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore explained, "It is a measure in response to the expansion of the new corona again in the world," and will decide whether to lift the suspension by looking at the situation at the end of April. The Singaporean government will continue to change immigration control measures as needed to manage the risk of infection and transmission to the community, depending on the global corona infection situation.
The mutual green lane contract will start in June 2020 for some areas of mainland China. Also called a business truck, it is a mechanism that exempts important business travelers from quarantine measures after arriving in the partner country if they obtain certain procedures.
Currently, Singapore continues to have mutual green lane contracts with Brunei and some cities in mainland China (Chongqing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Tianjin, Zhejiang).
In December of last month, it was just announced that operations between Japan and Indonesia would be suspended. It is said that Japan's state of emergency will be lifted, but the outlook is still uncertain.
[Smoking is prohibited in all hawkers in Japan]
Singapore's Ministry of Sustainability and Fisheries (MSE) has announced a policy to ban smoking in all hawker center dining spaces in Singapore. MSE Minister Grace Fu said in a written meeting on the 4th that the plan is to protect eaters from second-hand smoke and create a more comfortable eating environment.
As of December 2020, 27 of the 114 hawker centers in the country have smoking areas, Fu said. These smoking areas appear to be phased out by repairs and refurbishments.
[Singapore is in the middle of the rainy season]
Even in 2021, the weather continues in Singapore. Rainfall did not stop from New Year's Day to the 2nd, and the rainfall observed in the Changi area exceeded the average rainfall in January in these two days alone.
Heavy rainfall of 210.6 mm was observed from noon to 7:00 pm on January 2.
Prior to the 2nd, the Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA) predicted that the rainfall on the 2nd would be the top 1% of the daily rainfall in the record for the past 39 years. I did.
The low temperature also stands out. According to NEA, the lowest temperature on the 2nd was 7 pm, 21.1 degrees Celsius in Newton. This was lower than expected at around 23-33 degrees. Singapore is a place where you can spend all year long with short sleeves, but recently there have been days when it feels chilly, and many people wear sweaters and long sleeves.
Heavy rains and low temperatures may continue in February and March.
