Back in January, Singapore announced eased measures for recently-recovered, fully-vaccinated travellers. For a 90-day period, this group will be exempt from all testing and SHN requirements when returning to Singapore, upon presentation of positive test result or recovery memo.
In other words:
- No pre-departure testing before travel to Singapore
- No on-arrival or post-arrival testing in Singapore
- No SHN, regardless of travel history and whether or not a VTL flight is taken
While that’s a welcome development, it’s unfortunately created some unintended consequences. Since it pays to get your COVID-19 infection documented, mildly ill or asymptomatic patients who should be recovering at home have been flooding GP clinics to get certified.
Fortunately, common sense has prevailed and it’s now possible for such patients to visit Quick Test Centres or Combined Test Centres (QTC/CTCs), take a supervised ART, and have their HealthHub records updated.
Booking a QTC/CTC confirmatory test
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| Booking Link |
| QTC/CTC Locations |
Members of the public who have a positive ART result (known as AG+) may now make an appointment and visit a QTC/CTC to do a confirmatory swab.
Members of the public who test positive for COVID-19 infection on their self-administered Antigen Rapid Tests (ARTs) and are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, may make appointments at the Combined Test Centres (CTCs) and Quick Test Centres for a government-funded supervised self-swab ART test. Test statuses of all individuals will be recorded in the COVID-19 management system
Swabs will be free of charge from 16 February to 15 March 2022 (subject to further extension), and results will be recorded on the HealthHub app within 30 minutes. 48 QTC/CTCs will initially be available for booking, increasing to 205 by the end of this week.
Appointments are required, and can be made for all individuals aged three and above. Minors aged 3-12 must be accompanied by a caregiver, aged 21 and above. The caregiver may be required to help administer the self-swab test if the minor is unable to do so.
| โ Getting to the QTC/CTC |
| If you’re COVID-positive, you obviously shouldn’t be taking public transport or a regular taxi/PHV. This means that walking or driving are the two main options, although GrabSHN is also possible. |
What document do I need to be excused from SHN and testing?
Fully-vaccinated travellers who have recently recovered from COVID-19 may present either of the following documents to excuse themselves from SHN and testing requirements:
- a positive COVID-19 PCR or professionally-administered ART result dated between 7-90 days before date of departure to Singapore, or
- a discharge memo (aka recovery 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 before the date of departure for Singapore
- be issued by a relevant state authority or licensed medical professional
QTC/CTCs will not issue recovery memos as they are not required by employees and students to return to work or school.
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Note: Some people have reported that they weren’t issued such a certificate at their QTC/CTC. It may only be given by certain clinics, so you might want to call before you head down. Alternatively, you can always request for a recovery memo once you’re in the system, via this link. The link says it’s for Protocol 1, but it reportedly also works for Protocol 2 patients whose infection is recorded in the system |
However, they can issue a professionally-administered ART result. A MileLion reader contributed the following example:
| โ Are QTC/CTC swabs “professionally administered”? |
| I’m sure it’ll be asked, so I’ll just preempt the question: even though you’re technically swabbing yourself, it still counts as a professionally administered ART because you’ve done it under supervision. |
Notice how it features the full name, NRIC and the date of infection. This is all the information required to exempt yourself from testing and SHN. The exemption period, assuming you’re fully vaccinated, is 7-90 days after the date of infection.
On arrival in Singapore, you’ll see a special lane at immigration called “Vaccinated Recovered Travellers”. Approach the counter, and you’ll be issued a white sticker with “E” on it. This exempts you from the on-arrival test, and once you leave the secure area you’re free to go wherever you wish, just like pre-COVID days.
Conclusion
If you’ve tested positive for COVID-19 on a self-administered ART kit, you can now book an appointment at a QTC/CTC to get it certified.
This provides you with a document that exempts you from pre-departure, on-arrival and post-arrival testing in Singapore, as well as any prevailing SHN requirement, for a period of 7-90 days after the date of infection.
Do remember that you may still need to take pre-departure tests when travelling out of Singapore, because those regulations are set by other countries. For a full list of VTL pre-departure testing requirements, as well as the cheapest places to do a test, refer to this post.
Can we use passport number instead to register for the ART Test? Is this slip equivalent to recovery memo and be accepted by overseas authority for exemption of tests?
I don’t know of any other overseas authority that has a similar waiver for recovered individuals. Which renders the usefulness of having passport # on it moot.
Malaysia has a similar scheme for returning Malaysians. In that case a passport number reference will be useful
Is the ART result from QTC/CTC sent as a PDF via email, or do you have to wait and collect a hard copy?
On the discharge memo from MOH, only the name & the last 4 letters of the NRIC are being shown, will it still be valid for being exempted from SHN?
Or should you reach out to MOH to get another letter that includes the passport number?
Will this discharge memo suffice even for flight boarding requirement overseas?
If i’m not wrong, your passport shows your IC number on it too.. so no issues
yup it does- no problem
Hey Aaron, no such slip issued by CTC. They asked me to contact MOH
thanks for the data point. so after testing you just get a healthhub update?
Also went to test today. No document released, just SMS update and data on health hub
How do we get it notarized for overseas travel? Currently it only updates on Health Hub with last 4 digits/letters of IC. Other countries such as Greece also wants recovered from Covid status.
you didn’t get a certificate like the one in the article?
@aaron QTC does not release a certificate like the article. Can you please update your article with the right info? It’s confusing now to understand whether QTC is actually enough. I would not want to be surprised at the airport being told I can’t fly because I only have the health ub
it depends which QTC you visit. go to the ones listed as clinics.
Thanks for the update in the article:
Alternatively, you can always request for a recovery memo once youโre in the system, via this link.
I’ll be able to check to see if it works for me next week. If anyone has any success in the meantime, pls do share.
It states only P1 patients are given a recovery memo, not P2. Protocol 1 patients are those who are given ART test AND a pcr swab. And usually only patients below a certain age (below 3 years old) and above age 80 that would fall under protocol 1. This is in general. Plus those who are immunocompromised, severe symptoms (even if you feel your sore throat is super killing you and ultra painful, no that doesn’t count; still falls under P2) The rest of us falls under protocol 2, with or without symptoms, mild symptoms etc. The antigen test result… Read more »
Further update to my previous post, link above works for P2 patients too, even if indicated otherwise on the main page. Used my wife’s recent infection to try. It came back.
So do use the link; every tiny bit eases the work load of health-care workers and frees them up for other more pressing matters.
Hi the link above doesn’t work anymore… I’m also worried that at the check in counter overseas they won’t recognize just this previously C positive indication on the Healthhub app…
link is not working, correct
https://form.gov.sg/#!/6218413940a8e300123431a5
Try this. Form states it’s for protocol 1, but people with protocol 2 have reported success too so long as they’re in the system with supervised art
Update: Was on Protocol 2. Received my Recovery Memo via sms link after logging in my case with “For travelling purpose within the next 90 days’ as reason.
Memo indicates name but NRIC number only shows last 4 characters. Not sure if this will be an issue, since the ICA site stated the document should have “ID number (per travel document used to enter Singapore), or Date of Birth” (https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/vaccinated-recovered).
Yeah I think that will be an issue. Hmmm, thanks for the data point, still asking around