Asia Pacific Countries Impose New Travel Restrictions Because of Omicron

The new variant of COVID-19 – Omicron – has put the entire tourism industry at risk once again. More and more countries are already imposing new travel restrictions or considering them in attempts to stop the spread of the virus. Malaysia and the Philippines have already completely banned the entry of all travelers coming from certain southern African countries. As the first cases of Omicron are reported in Hong Kong, Italy, the US, Australia, South Korea, and other countries, it is likely that we will see more travel restrictions in the coming weeks.

Travelers with Singapore hotel reservations do not need to cancel their bookings as the Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL) scheme continues working for now. Singapore decided to put on halt the VTL connection with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar only due to the proximity of these countries to Africa. There are also some changes in the testing requirements for the arriving passengers. All air travelers (both residents and non-residents) including transiting passengers arriving at Changi Airport are obliged to take a pre-departure PCR test and another PCR test on arrival. Travelers using the VTL have an extra requirement to undergo antigen rapid tests on the third and seventh days of arrival.

Travelers who had plans to visit Hong Kong in December may find it increasingly hard to do starting from this week. Hong Kong added another 16 countries (Australia and Japan included) to the Group A trier or high-risk countries. Non-residents from these countries are restricted from entering, and returning residents are subject to a 21-day quarantine.

Indonesia and Thailand also have made some changes in their entry policies. Indonesia has put 11 countries on the temporary travel ban list. Travelers arriving from these countries are obliged to quarantine for 14 days. Residents and non-residents arriving from other countries will have to spend one week in self-quarantine. Thailand removed most African countries from its Sandbox program starting from December 1. Travelers are still allowed to enter Thailand but they are required to have a 14-day quarantine with 3 PCR tests. The country’s Test & Go scheme, which is available for 63 countries, is still valid.

Japan has come further and banned all entries for foreigners without permanent residency. Japanese citizens and permanent residents returning to the country will need to spend up to 10 days in an isolation facility.