Singapore on Sunday said that anyone arriving in the city-state from 12 countries including Japan will be required to isolate themselves for 14 days as part of stepped-up measures to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
From 11:59 p.m. Monday, anyone including citizens with a recent travel history to the ASEAN group of nations, Japan, Switzerland or Britain within the last 14 days will be issued a 14-day "Stay-Home Notice," the Health Ministry said.
The ministry also advised Singaporeans to defer all non-essential travel abroad for 30 days.
(Travellers are seen wearing a protective mask at a self check-in kiosk at Changi Airport on Jan. 30, 2020 in Singapore.)
[Getty/Kyodo]
In addition, all short-term visitors who are nationals of any ASEAN country will have to submit requisite information on their health to the Singapore Overseas Mission in the country they are resident before their intended date of travel, it said.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam in addition to Singapore.
In recent days, more than three-quarters of new infections were imported cases involving Singapore residents and long-terms pass holders who had returned to Singapore from overseas.
More than one-quarter of the imported cases were from Southeast Asian countries.
As of Saturday, Singapore has more than 200 people infected with the virus but there has been no report of any fatality.
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