SINGAPORE — Singapore will bar all short-term visitors from entering or transiting through the country from 11.59pm on Monday (March 23), while only work pass holders in essential services such as healthcare and transport will be allowed to enter.

The heightened measures are due to the increased risk of Covid-19 cases being imported into Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Sunday.

Previously, short-term visitors from most countries were allowed to come into Singapore, although they would have to serve a 14-day stay-home notice upon arrival. However, this meant that resources were expended to serve and enforce the order on them and, if they fell ill, to provide them with medical treatment, MOH said.

Speaking at a media briefing on Sunday, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said: “The (multi-ministry taskforce) deliberated over this carefully, and decided we need to put in place these measures to keep our borders safe, to limit the number of new imported cases and, importantly, to conserve our resources to focus on returning Singaporeans.”

The multi-ministry taskforce — jointly led by Health Minister Gan Kim Yong and Mr Wong — was set up in January to tackle the Covid-19 situation.

On Saturday, there were 533 short-term visitors arriving in Singapore, the ministry added.

Almost 80 per cent of Singapore’s new cases in the past three days were imported, MOH said, adding that most of them are Singapore residents and long term pass holders returning home from abroad.

Singapore on Saturday reported 47 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, 39 of which were imported.

The 39 imported cases have a travel history to Australia, Europe, North America, Asean and other parts of Asia. Among them, 33 were returning residents and long-term pass holders, while six were short-term visitors.

Mr Wong added that for work pass holders, only those in essential services such as healthcare and transport will be allowed to return.

Their employers have to seek approval from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for their return prior to their departure, in line with existing rules.

As to what is considered an “essential service”, MOM will make the call.

“If MOM is not clear, it will seek the help of the relevant agencies — be it MOH, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Trade and Industry — in order to make that assessment, and then they will grant approval,” Mr Wong said.

As to whether Malaysian work pass holders can enter Singapore during the lockdown, Mr Wong said that there have been no Malaysian work pass holders crossing the border to Singapore since the lockdown and that the two countries are “still working on arrangements”.

“And that's something that is being discussed separately and certainly if there are any new flows (of workers) coming in, we will have to look at them, making sure that truly these are workers that are needed,” he said.