SINGAPORE — A total of 243 Air Travel Passes have been issued to travellers from Hong Kong and Macau for entry into Singapore from Thursday (Aug 26) onwards.

In a media release on Wednesday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said that as of 11.59pm on Tuesday, 230 of these passes had been issued to travellers from Hong Kong while another 13 had gone to those from Macau.

Among those issued with the pass, 19 of the travellers are expected to arrive from Hong Kong on Thursday, while two others from Macau will enter Singapore on Saturday.

This is after CAAS announced last Thursday that travellers from the two jurisdictions could apply for these passes for entry into Singapore on or after Aug 26.

Under the scheme for the pass, these short-term visitors have to be in either jurisdiction for at least 21 consecutive days before leaving for Singapore and undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test once they arrive in Singapore.

They will be allowed to go about their activities here if their PCR test result is negative. In addition, they will not need to serve a stay-home notice.

CAAS said that since the easing of border restrictions for Hong Kong and Macau on Aug 20, a total of 63 Singaporeans and permanent residents had returned to Singapore from these places as of Aug 24.

These people will undergo a PCR test upon their arrival here and are allowed to go about their activities should they test negative for the coronavirus.

“There are currently more than 25,000 Singapore citizens living in Hong Kong and Macau,” the authority said.

CAAS' director-general Han Kok Juan said that the opening to these two jurisdictions is part of Singapore’s efforts to “further reopen our borders in a cautious and step-by-step manner”.

“We have had good response in the first one week. We expect more Singapore citizens and permanent residents to return home in the coming months and more travellers to come to Singapore, particularly towards the end of the year,” he said.

CAAS added it has allowed short-term visitors from very low-risk countries or regions to enter Singapore through the ATP scheme since September last year.

To date, more than 33,000 people who have the Air Travel Pass have entered the country.