Responding to a question in Parliament today, Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said the government has "no plans" to make vaccinations a requirement for travellers looking to enter the country but more data is needed before border measures can be relaxed for people vaccinated against COVID-19.
"Over the past year, we have been able to allow some travel to take place without requiring vaccinations, as a condition for entry into Singapore… we have no plans to impose the requirement that unless you are vaccinated you can travel," he said in response to queries from Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Gan Thiam Poh.
Ong also noted that more scientific data was needed so that health authorities can better determine the extent to which vaccines can reduce COVID-19 transmissions.
"So until then, it is premature to decide if border measures can be reduced for vaccinated individuals and whether, for purposes of implementing border measures, there should be differentiation between different vaccines," he said.
However, he stated that Singapore is looking to start work on a system of mutual recognition of vaccine certification between countries which is based on HealthCerts, a set of digital standards for issuing digital COVID-19 test result certificates.
"We are in discussions at the International Civil Aviation Organisation and with various countries on the mutual recognition of such certifications. Such bilateral discussions will take some time," Ong said.
