As Singapore continues to gradually open its borders, the Home Residence Notice (NHS) regime has a key detail for keeping Covid-19 infections low in the community.
More than 120,400 such notifications have been issued in the past six months, according to the government in response to questions from the Straits Times.
Earlier this month, about 14,000 more people were still serving their NHS, a spokesman for the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said. It added that until 4 August, some two hundred investigations into violations had been carried out.
During the NHS period, for 14 days, a person cannot leave their residence. Those who violate regulations face a $10,000 fine, up to six months in prison or both.
Foreigners may also see shortened or revoked the validity of entry permits or passes that allow them to remain in Singapore.
The NHS brought on February 19 for those returning from anywhere in China except Hubei. At that time, those who had visited the province, then the epicentre of the pandemic, were quarantined.
As the coronavirus spread and the scenario worsened around the world, the government expanded the program to returnees from other countries and changed various sites, such as hotels, for services committed to spaced out those returnees. On April 9, all travelers returning from anywhere were required to attend nhSs at those sites.
Although all incoming travelers are now required to remain at compromised sites, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Development said earlier this month that 46 hotels were still being used for those purposes.
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Travel regulations gradually relaxed as Covid-19 numbers have become under control. For example, starting next month, climbers from countries such as Malaysia and China will only serve seven days of NHS. Visitors who have stayed in Brunei or New Zealand (low-risk countries) for 14 consecutive days prior to their stopover will not have to attend the NHS at all.
Tan Yen Nee, director of hospitality and sectoral work at the Singapore Tourism Board, said a variety of accommodation characteristics will be available for travelers to serve their NHS, subject to existing rules.
“The government will continue to monitor the dynamics and evolution of Covid-19 and adjust our capacity accordingly,” he said.
Among those committed is the Rasa Sentosa Resort and Spa in Shangri-La, the first case of Covid-19 in Singapore, reported on 23 January. The hotel has been used as a committed NHS facility since March.
The Shangri-La Group told ST that the hotel’s operational arrangements are being consulted and approved through the authorities. These come with the lack of physical interaction between staff and customers, temperature controls and the guarantee that food is delivered and sheets are safely replaced.
He has also created videos such as training and dance classes, as well as online dating sessions to allow visitors to virtually interact, and calls NHS visitors every day to verify their well-being.
Hotels that are not used as compromised sites also settle for SHN guests. Arthur Kiong, general manager of Far East Hospitality, said he had 3 hotels, Oasia Hotel Downtown, Orchard Rendezvous Hotel and Village Hotel Bugis, as well as several hotel service apartments.
These hotels comply with strict regulations of the authorities regarding protection and operational measures, said, from the arrival and feeding of the guest to the proper tasks of the home and disinfection at the departure of the visitor.
Most foreign academics returning to Singapore serve their NHSs in compromised locations, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education (MOE) said, adding that others do so in self-discovering accommodations or in ministry-run shelters.
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Since August 11, the government has begun generating portable devices to monitor travelers who do not remain at compromised sites while serving their NHSs. These travelers must wear an electronic bracelet that will notify the government if the user leaves their home. Officials said generation was needed to ensure that the NHS regime remains sustainable and effective.
Children 12 years and younger want to use these devices. Students who remain in school homes do too, as they are highly monitored.
The EMB spokesman said earlier this month that he hoped that less than a hundred academics would want to use the devices within the first two weeks of the new rule’s entry into force. “However, this number may increase as Singapore opens its borders,” he added.
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This article was first published in The Straits Times.