SINGAPORE - Singapore is maintaining its prevailing Covid-19 rules for incoming travellers from China as the country prepares to reopen its borders from Jan 8, 2023.

Travellers who are not fully vaccinated, based on the World Health Organisation’s definition, will need to undergo pre-departure tests, said Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) on Wednesday in response to media queries.

Short-term visitors are also required to purchase insurance for Covid-19-related medical expenses.

At this juncture, the prevailing border measures and vaccination requirements for travellers and work pass holders arriving from China remain unchanged, MOH added.

MOH said it is closely monitoring the international Covid-19 situation and will adjust its border health measures as appropriate should the need arise.

China currently imposes restrictions on outbound travel, as one needs valid reasons, such as education and business, to leave the country.

In a snap move late on Monday, China said that from Jan 8, 2023, inbound travellers would no longer be required to quarantine upon arrival, in a further unwinding of stringent Covid-19 controls that had torpedoed its economy and sparked nationwide protests.

China will also resume issuing visas for mainland residents to travel overseas from Jan 8, 2023, loosening the country’s zero-Covid regime and ending almost three years of strict quarantine rules.

Unlike most of the world where people have transitioned to living with the pandemic, China had until recently maintained harsh restrictions and largely sealed itself off.

These strict measures heavily disrupted international tourism and business travel, further hampering the country’s battered economy.