Coronavirus: Global situation
Brunei to suspend travel green list arrangement tomorrow
Essential travel needs govt approval as it cites case surge in some nations, Omicron threat
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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN • Brunei has announced updated guidelines on inbound and outbound travel, temporarily removing all countries - including Singapore - from its travel green list.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement that taking into consideration the Covid-19 situation, particularly the rise in cases in several countries and the threat posed by the Omicron variant, the steering committee for Covid-19 agreed to temporarily remove all countries from the list.
"In this regard, there will be no countries placed in the Travel Green List from Jan 1, 2022," the PMO said.
Earlier this month, the government said that from Jan 1, citizens and residents of Brunei and foreign nationals who had received their Covid-19 vaccinations were permitted to enter and exit the country for non-essential travel via air to and from countries on the list - including Australia, China, Singapore and Britain - without its permission.
But Britain was taken off the list a week earlier after the rapid spread of the Omicron variant there.
According to the PMO, the updated guidelines require all travellers to undergo a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test 48 hours before departure from their country.
Foreigners who wish to enter Brunei for essential purposes must also obtain approval.
In addition, all inbound travellers must self-isolate at designated hotels and take an antigen rapid test on arrival, as well as an RT-PCR test on the fifth-day post-arrival.
Essential outbound travel is now allowed only for its citizens and permanent residents, who have obtained approval and have received two vaccination jabs within 14 days to three months of their departure, or for those who have received a booster dose.
As of Tuesday, 94.5 per cent of Brunei's population had received at least one jab, while 93.2 per cent had completed their vaccination schedule of two doses and 17.9 per cent had received three doses.
It reported four new confirmed Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, taking its total tally to 15,465. The new cases included three local infections and one imported case, according to its health ministry.
XINHUA
