Other destinations currently at Level 4 include Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
The CDC advisory comes as Singapore began welcoming more fully vaccinated travellers on Tuesday, after extending its vaccinated travel lane scheme to eight more countries.
Fully vaccinated travellers from Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States will be able to enter Singapore without having to serve quarantine.
More than 2,400 people from these countries have been issued travel passes to enter Singapore as of Oct 13, with about 40 per cent of the passes issued to travellers from the United Kingdom.
Singapore launched its first two vaccinated travel lanes with Brunei and Germany last month. Its travel lane with South Korea will open in Nov 15.
South Korea is among countries with a “high level of COVID-19” currently at Level 3. Others in the same category include Australia, Indonesia, Japan, and Vietnam.
The travel advisory for India is at Level 2, indicating a “moderate level” of COVID-19. Unvaccinated individuals at risk of severe illness are advised to avoid non-essential travel to these places.
Among the Level 1 destinations identified by the CDC are China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and New Zealand. of these countries, Brunei, UK were classified as Level 4 countries, ie high risk. US is likely to be Level 3/4, South Korea is Level 3.
The above is quoted from CNA. To open up and welcome foreigners into this tightly packed city state is a risk that would eventually fall upon the population. So we would believe that very serious thoughts must be considered to grant certain countries this privilege. What would be the criteria? Infection rate, Level of risk, level of vaccination or business and political consideration?
The first two countries granted VTL status were Brunei and Gemany. South Korea is the third. Subsequently 8 more were added, ie Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherland, Spain, the US and UK.
What is strange is that countries in Level 1, very safe, like China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and New Zealand are not in the VTL. Also, India is also in Level 2, safer than Level 3/4, is also not in the VTL list.
Question, the VTL is granted because it is safer or because of other reasons? From the approved list it is clearly confusing and unconvincing that it was done objectively and based on scientific evidence.
What do you think?
Why are we letting in high risk visitors from Level 3 and Level 4 countries?
Logic of imbeciles?
PS. Did the MTF think people from high risk countries, or countries not in the approved VTL list could just go to these VTL countries, spend a fortnight there and fly straight to this silly little island to spread their virus? Possible?
11 comments:
WHO has given Singapore a High Risk designation and it is reflected in MOH's daily COVID-19 Situational Report. (bottom right corner).
The USA has advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Singapore as we allowed VTL from the USA among the 8 countries.
Called it a slap from our friend?
I would say, the USA is not wrong.
Our Task Force has only economic consideration.
The welfare of its citizens and residents are secondary.
Lye Khuen Way, nice to see you here.
From the words of the horses or horse-trading millionaire ministers, mouths, we can easily discern that of paramount importance at the back of their mind, group-think mind, is ECONOMIC RECOVERY. Nothing else. The increasing number of deaths, hardships and sufferings of the people are not important. They are obviously taken into consideration as collateral damages.
The granting of VTL can be said to work in mysterious ways, like what they say about God and the Law as well. It is not what common folks can understand or are supposed to understand, and only those implementing it can make sense of it's senseless ideology. It defies logic, confound sensibility and serves just partisan purposes.
Whatever consequences it brings is just collateral damage.
VTL secretly, to the master planners and schemers, means VIRUS TRANSMISSION LICENCE.
When Singapore reached the 80 per cent full vaccination mark in late August, it was supposed to signal the beginning of its final lap of the pandemic after being a global leader in its handling of the virus.
Nearly two months later, however, it is being overtaken in its bid to live with COVID-19 by those who trailed well behind.
An elderly resident waits to receive her COVID-19 vaccine in Singapore last month. Tens of thousands of people over the age of 60 have still not been vaccinated.
Far from removing the shackles of restrictions, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s government on Wednesday extended curbs that limit gatherings to two people for another month.
It is symptomatic of the cautious approach that’s led even simple pleasures such as music inside restaurants and bars to be banned for many months.
Now, though, after setting the standard in the region with its COVID-19 immunisation drive, vaccine hesitancy is playing a key role in holding Singapore back.
Its hospital system is under severe pressure, with isolation rooms 90 per cent occupied and intensive-care beds two-thirds full.
A significant number of unvaccinated seniors just won’t get the jab.
“At the current situation, we face considerable risk of the healthcare system being overwhelmed,” said Lawrence Wong, the Finance Minister and co-chair of the multi-ministry COVID-19 taskforce.
The city-state’s Ministry of Health reported last month that about 100,000 people aged 60 and above were yet to be vaccinated despite having been in the priority category.
This week, the government said about 100 of them were being infected per day. The numbers may seem small but in a health system limited in size - Singapore has about 1650 isolation beds and 200 ICU places - authorities are concerned with how quickly they add up even when 98 per cent of people overall have mild or no symptoms at all.
There was a new daily high of 18 deaths in Singapore on Wednesday - as well as a near record 3862 new cases - and the unvaccinated elderly accounted for more than two-thirds of patients who had passed away from the virus or were in the ICU, Health Minister and fellow taskforce co-chair Ong Ye Kung said.
“For the unvaccinated seniors in their 60s, our data shows one in four will require oxygen, ICU care or will succumb,” he said.
As for why they have resisted the jab, a study in June by Singapore Management University found nearly 80 per cent cited fear of side effects while 25 per cent of respondents said they didn’t believe in vaccination in general.
The Singapore government has tried to convince them by tackling disinformation and now by barring the unvaccinated from dining at hawker centre and even from entering shopping malls.
It’s a tactic questioned by Professor Paul Tambyah, an infectious diseases expert in Singapore and president of the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
As chairman of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, he has proposed an alternative strategy that includes targeted closures of venues rather than widespread restrictions, saying “we have no choice but to live with the virus”.
“Banning people from going to coffee shops or hawker centres, which are open air, is not going to work,” Tambyah said during an online event organised by his party last week.
“I think the public health benefit is minimal but the cost in terms of the trust, in terms of the buy-in from the people, is not there.“
Singapore has, meanwhile, attempted to protect its status as a regional business and aviation hub by opening up quarantine-free travel lanes from the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and South Korea.
There is also likely to be a similar arrangement with Australia soon.
However, the island’s stuttering reopening has taken a toll.
“The situation in Singapore as a player in a globally connected economy is going from bad to worse,” said Singapore-based Australian investment banker Arv Sreedhar, who is managing director of corporate finance at asset management firm Atlantic Partners Asia.
Singapore's VTL and Travel Bubbles are all desperation driven. It's like a dying man grasping for breath while the flood water is coming in fast to drown him. He is grabbing at anything that floats towards him.
Mr Cheng's son said his father had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
"We had tried very hard to convince him to get the vaccine for his own good, but he had been reluctant to do so,” said Mr Alvin Cheng, who added that his father was "just not keen on vaccines".
His son urged elderly Singaporean who were still unvaccinated to get the jab as soon as they can for their own protection against the virus.
Mr Cheng served as POSB's CEO for 23 years and had worked at the bank for more than three decades.
Under his leadership, POSB became the first bank to adopt computerisation and went digital in 1974, said TODAY. He also adopted the trademark key logo for the bank and pushed for the introduction of automated teller machines (ATM) around Singapore in 1976.
We weren't joking when we said it is so easy to be the opposition in Singapore..
The Progressive Wage Model is the brainchild of Lim Swee Say and Tripartite partners have been working since 2012 to implement the models for the various sectors.
But who remembers Lim Swee Say or gives him credit for it?
The model, despite it making a big difference to workers, in fact came under criticism all because it is from the ruling party.
Then came Jamus from WP who declared that the model was along the lines that the WP has been fighting for. And for good measure, he added the 'make your vote count' tag to his post..And fans were delighted. "Ya, thank you, WP, well done, this is why we need more opposition".
And then we have PSP Leong Mun Wai taking credit for conversations that apparently were started by him. It's as though before LMW appeared on the scene, no one gave a dime about PMEs.. And of course fans cheered and went "Thank you Sir. This is why we need more opposition."
Hello, Mr Leong. These engagements or conversations started more than a year ago in August 2020. It didn't start because you made a speech in Parliament.
So what do we say to the ruling PAP? Unfortunately, this is your lot in life. Yet, you will still work hard to serve the people to the best of your abilities, burn the midnight oil, lose sleep over the people's future. Your fear of mediocrity will be the impetus driving you.
But you will still be accused of being heartless and lazy, doing nothing but happily collecting your salaries and living it up, enjoying yourselves every day.
Others will come and take credit for the good work that you do.
Every good policy is the result of the Opposition in Parliament.
Every policy the people do not like is because there are not enough opposition members in Parliament.
Either way, you are at the losing end, despite all your work and dedication.
Obviously, Alvin Cheng does not know about KARMA.
When your KARMA has ripened, it doesn't matter whether you have been vaccinated or not. Your time is up, your time to go. Period.
Don't say until like dat lah.
I get Millionaire salaries and bonuses every year, u know?
Every month I check my CPF Statement, I very happy, u know?
Somemore, I got title and status and power, u know?
Opposition politicians got or not? I ask u, got r not?
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