Tested positive for COVID-19 overseas? Here’s the rules for returning to Singapore

Although the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) agreements have allowed two-way quarantine-free travel to resume, what’s kept many from heading overseas was the prospect of the dreaded “14-day stranding”.

This refers to the additional two weeks that travellers had to spend overseas, in the event their pre-departure test came back positive. That’s two more weeks of hotel and food costs, not to mention missed school or work.

The 14-day stranding has its origins in this ICA advisory:

But things have changed, and for the better. Singapore recently eased its measures for recently-recovered travellers, and here’s the updated advisory, effective 24 January 2022:

In other words, if you test positive on your pre-departure test, you won’t face the 14-day stranding anymore.

Revised measures for recovered travellers

From 24 January 2022 onwards, a fully-vaccinated traveller who tests positive on his pre-departure test has two options. 

1. Wait at least 72 hours and take another professionally-administered ART or PCR test. If this is negative, he may fly back to Singapore, subject to the prevailing border measures (e.g. pre-departure, on-arrival, and post-arrival testing, or SHNs)
2. Wait at least 7 days and then return to Singapore, exempt from further pre-departure, on-arrival and post-arrival testing or SHNs

(1) would be the preferred option for people anxious to get home, but there’s a couple of issues:

• The likelihood of you being able to produce a negative COVID-19 test after just 72 hours (certainly not with the hypersensitive PCR tests, unless your first one was a false positive)
• Isolation requirements imposed by overseas authorities upon a positive test may be in excess of 72 hours (in the UK, for example, self-isolation after a positive test lasts for at least five days)

Therefore, (2) is the more realistic scenario. 

If at least 7 days (14 days for the unvaccinated) have passed since the date of your first positive test, you’ll be exempt from all testing and SHN requirements on the Singapore side for 90 days from the date of your first positive test.

During this period, a fully vaccinated traveller could:

1. Travel to any country, and return to Singapore without quarantine
2. Return to Singapore on any flight (VTL or non-VTL) without quarantine
3. Avoid all pre-departure, on-arrival and post-arrival testing requirements when entering Singapore

Do note that you’d still have to do pre-departure testing when travelling out of Singapore, as that’s a requirement imposed by foreign governments. Likewise, other countries may have their own quarantine requirements for travellers from Singapore; you can see a list of relevant restrictions via Sherpa.

But otherwise, during that 7-90 day period you’ll effectively be travelling into Singapore like the pre-COVID days. I’ve seen some calling this a “power card” or “incentive to get COVID”, and while I disagree with that characterisation (even if COVID is mild for you, you could pass it to someone in the more vulnerable segment), it’s good to see the authorities recognising the fact that vaccination and a breakthrough infection confer very strong immunity indeed. 

Recovered Traveller Checker

For avoidance of doubt, the authorities have come up with a useful tool for checking your eligibility for pre-departure testing and border measure exemptions. 

Exemption from Pre-Departure Test and Border Measures for Recently-Recovered Travellers

Recovered Traveller Checker

All you need to do is enter your vaccination status, date of first positive test, and date of departure to Singapore. 

Let’s say you’re fully vaccinated and planning to travel to Singapore on 29 January 2022. This means you’ll need to take a pre-departure test on 27 January 2022; suppose that comes back positive. 

Here’s what the eligibility checker says.

“Pre-Departure Test exemption not allowed as first positive test is less than 7 days before departure. You may only board if you produce an acceptable negative test result which is taken at least 72 hours after your first positive test.”

If you get a positive test result on 27 January 2022, the earliest you can return to Singapore is 72 hours later (assuming there’s no isolation requirement imposed by the overseas authorities). However, you’ll still need to produce a negative test result because 7 days haven’t passed yet.

“You may also consider departing at least 7 days after your first positive test instead, in order to be eligible for Pre-Departure Test exemption and the Vaccinated-Recovered Traveller Protocol.”

But once those 7 days have passed, you’ll be exempt from pre-departure testing, as well as border measures.

“Traveller is not eligible for exemption from inland border measures on arrival. Positive test is less than 7 days before date of departure.”

If for example on Day 4 (the date you tested positive is Day 1) you’re able to produce a negative test result, you can return to Singapore (since it’s been >72 hours since your first positive result), but you’ll still be subject to prevailing testing and SHN measures on arrival (since it’s been < 7 days since your first positive result).

Now let’s look at what the checker says if we put 27 January 2022 as the date of the first positive test and 2 February 2022 as the intended departure date to Singapore

“Pre-Departure Test exemption allowed as first positive test is between 7-90 days (inclusive) before departure”

Since you’re fully vaccinated and 7 days have passed since your first positive test, you’re exempt from any pre-departure testing for travel to Singapore.

“Traveller is eligible for exemption from inland border measures on arrival. Positive test is between 7-90 days (inclusive) before date of departure.”

Even better- you’re also exempt from testing on arrival and any SHNs, during the 7-90 day window. 

If you’re not vaccinated, the best you can hope for is a waiver of the pre-departure testing exemption, which kicks in 14 days after your first positive test. There’s no waiver of border measures on arrival, so you have to do a PCR test on arrival and SHN, where applicable. 

Get your shots, people. 

What documents do you need?

To be eligible for the ease measures for recovered travellers, you must be able to show the following:

• a positive COVID-19 PCR or professionally-administered ART result dated between 7-90 days (14-90 days for unvaccinated individuals) before date of departure to Singapore or
• a discharge memo 

Either document must:

• state the traveller’s name and at least one other personal identifier (e.g. date of birth, passport number)
• state the date of infection or discharge date, which must be within 7-90 days (14-90 days for unvaccinated individuals) before the date of departure for Singapore
• be issued by a relevant state authority or licensed medical professional

You can present either a positive COVID-19 PCR or professionally-administered ART result or a discharge memo. In many countries it may be difficult to obtain the latter, but it doesn’t really matter since you can just show your positive pre-departure test certificate.

This requirement obviously means that a positive self-test ART result will not be sufficient. You need to get an official document to be considered as previously infected and recovered.

Conclusion

With the eased measures for recently recovered travellers, one of the biggest concerns about overseas travel has been removed. In a best case scenario, you could return to Singapore as soon as 72 hours after your initial positive test (although that depends on how fast your body clears the infection, as well as any isolation requirements that may be imposed by the overseas authorities).

That’s a big step down from the previous 14 days (and don’t forget- at one point it was 21 days), making overseas travel a lot more palatable.

Catching COVID won’t be on your highlights reel for the year, but as a silver lining, recovery from an infection gives you an 83-day window (days 7-90) to enjoy relatively unrestricted travel, at least where returning to Singapore is concerned. No concerns about SHNs, VTL flights, pre-departure or on-arrival testing- just like the good old days.