The Republic of Singapore on Wednesday imposed air travel restrictions in response to an increase in cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Airlines will not be permitted to sell new flight tickets for travel to the country from December 23 to January 20, the government said. In accordance with the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme, travelers who have purchased their tickets in advance will be permitted to travel quarantine-free.

The VTL allows travellers from specific countries to enter Singapore without being quarantined if they are fully vaccinated against the disease.

Participants in the VTL program include travelers from countries such as Australia; Brunei; Cambodia; Canada; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Italy; Malaysia and the Maldives; the Netherlands, South Korea; Sweden; Switzerland; Thailand; Turkey; the United Kingdom and the United States; and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

From December 23 to January 20, according to a Singapore Airlines spokesperson, the airline will no longer accept new reservations (both dates inclusive). During this period, new ticket sales on designated VTL flights for entry into Singapore are prohibited by Singaporean law, as directed by the government.

This directive will not affect passengers who have confirmed reservations on VTL flights, and they will be able to continue their travel as scheduled, according to the spokesperson. "There will be no change to the existing VTL or test requirements, and travellers with existing bookings will be able to enter Singapore quarantine-free as long as they meet all VTL requirements," the statement reads.

A Bloomberg report stated that Singapore is the latest country in Southeast Asia to suspend reopening efforts in an effort to buy time against the more transmissible variant after Thailand halted its quarantine-free entry program this week. Thailand had previously halted its quarantine-free entry program. Medical experts are calling for the reinstatement of mandatory mask-wearing and density limitations in Australia, while New Zealand has postponed the progressive reopening of its border until the end of February owing to the threat posed by the omicron strain.

Additionally, Singapore is advising persons returning from overseas to avoid high-risk mask-off activities like dining out or exercising in gyms for the first seven days following their homecoming, even if they test negative each day. Previously, returnees were permitted to roam freely after passing a drug test and receiving a negative result.

According to Ministry of Health data, the number of local cases in Singapore has dropped from a daily high of more than 4,600 in late October to just 221 on December 21, a significant drop. Bloomberg said that imports of cases — the majority of which are Omicron — are increasing, with more than 50 cases being imported each day.