anyone who recently flied to or will fly to Singapore soon under VTL?

Transportation, Travel and Trips
1
anyone will fly to Singapore soon under VTL? Where can we do pre-departure COVID test which is recongized by SG authority?

with the official link, https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/stat...vid-19-testing

it says " b. Where countries/regions are not listed in Table 1, travellers should seek advice from the country’s/region's Department of Health or Ministry of Health equivalent for approved COVID-19 PCR test providers; or

2) Accredited in the area of molecular microbiology (for PCR testing) or immunology (for serology testing), by the following list of recognised accreditation bodies in Table 2. "

but then when we go to the Swiss link on Table 2. there is no way to find a list of recognized lab, I am quite lost.

https://www.sas.admin.ch/sas/en/home.html

Would love to hear your experience

2
Ask the airline, they are the ones responsible for letting you on board, or not.

Both SQ and LX are flying the route.

3
I fly to Thailand via Singapore next Monday. I plan on getting a PCR test at any of the places at the airport. As it’s required to have a test within 48 hours of departure that would put my testing date on Saturday so I wanna make sure I get it on Sunday. The airport places guarantee a five hour or eight hour turnaround. Other places say 24 hours but I don’t want to chance it. I’d rather pay a few extra Chf

If you get a certificate then I believe that is recognized enough.

4
I went to Zurich airport to ask at the Singapore Airlines desk this week and they suggested to do a PCR test the day before check-in for transfer at Changi on the way to Thailand. Flying later this week so no experience yet. I check the Singapore government website daily on their Covid 19 advice.

Any others EFers with advice, tips, suggestions?

5
Singapore requires a test no older than 48 hours which can be a PCR or Antigen. However - Thailand requires a PCR no older than 72 hours from the start of your journey.

I fly 10:35AM next Monday... So- my plan is to get a PCR test on Saturday with guaranteed results in 24 hours. Should cover me for both required tests.

For the next week I will live as a hermit to reduce my chances of catching covid - Would hate to have to cancel this trip and stay at home.

6
No longer going. Too much risk in terms of relying on PCRs in foreign countries and cannot afford to get stranded for 2 weeks in a hospital. Safe travels everyone.

7
I am loving the word "flied" and will add it to my vocabulary.

8
I am still confused which lab or pharmacy that the SG authorities recognize the test result. as they haven't given a list for CH, would be great to hear from you once you arrive in SG! Thanks

I understand, when I booked there was no Omicron yet, but I have already paid everything and processed most of the admin job, except this COVID test so will continue

Damn it, this was one of the basic word when I learnt English in middle school, fly flew flown! I will blame all the French/German speaking people who don't give me the opportunity to maintain my English level! and look if a native speaker like Trump can say "bigly" I can say "flied"

9
You are way over thinking it - if you have a certificate issued by the Federal System, in the Covid App - you are good to go.

10
This is wrong. Switzerland won't let you back in without negative PCR test. So you could get stuck in Thailand for 2 weeks when you get a positive test.

11
Sorry - but this comment was about what test providers the singapore government recognise.

My point was - if you have tested in Switzerland and received an official test certificate that should be enough for the Singapore government to let you in.

You still need a PCR to get back that's for sure.

12
Guys another quesiton is have you bought any additional COVID travel insurance?(this is in the checklist of VTL) I assume our normal Swiss health insurance itself is enough? normally it covers medical emergencies fee abroad as high as twice the Swiss standard

13
For Thailand you were required to have 50K USD of insurance. Swiss health insurance doesn't really provide coverage like that. Or so said my insurance company. They cover up to 4x (or is it 2x.. I can't remember) what it would cost in CH for something.

I ended up using my AMEX Plat as proof of insurance - they sent me letter with my limits and information that I used as proof of travel insurance. Also - the AMEX clearly states it pays out AFTER the Swiss insurance.

Another friend bought a small policy 40 francs or so for 3 weeks just for this.

So.. long story short. Yes and No Confused yet??

14
Yes extra insurance cover was purchased but Thailand authorities require it before entry to cover 2 weeks of hospital stay once you test positive. Call your health insurer and ask for the costs of the extra coverage. That is what we did and it was fine. Cheers

15
Thanks guys, I never mentioned Thailand but indeed my plan is 4 weeks in SG and 2 weeks in Thailand. looks like great minds think alike

My health insurance has sent me a certificate with the below wording, would this be enough? or you where do you recommend me to buy one product covering both SG and TH in one policy for till 5th Feb?

Insurance coverage

The insurance is valid for emergencies worldwide (including Singapore, Thailand and Covid-19 treatments). The costs are reimbursed to the insured person

following submission of the detailed original invoice. The reimbursement is sent only to an address in Switzerland or to a Swiss bank account. It is not

possible to send a reimbursement abroad.

We hereby confirm that XX, born on XX, is covered with us as follows:

Type of benefit Description Amount of benefit

Medical benefits (includes

medication and aids)*

Mandatory basic insurance in accordance with Swiss federal

law on mandatory healthcare insurance. Includes also

pre-existing conditions, substance abuse treatment, mental

health care and pregnancy.

Covers costs of outpatient and inpatient treatment, up to a

maximum of twice the tariff of the canton of residence in

Switzerland.

Emergency transport* The insurance covers transport to the nearest suitable doctor

or to the nearest suitable hospital.

50% max. CHF 500

Co-payment CHF 3'200 per calendar year

According to the US Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Swiss mandatory basic insurance has the same minimum

standards as specified under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare").

Validity Valid from 25.12.2021 until 28.02.2022

(Subject to termination by the insured person or owing to non-payment of the premium)

* If treatment is required abroad the CSS emergency center must be consulted immediately. Benefits will only be provided if the CSS emergency centre

approves and/or organises the treatment. 24-hr emergency number: +41 (0)58 277 77 77.

16
We have just done this as we flew To BKK via Singapore with Singapore Airlines on the 10th Dec, and I am sitting on our condo balcony as I type.

My wife is with CSS and that wasn't adequate for Thailand, so she bought an annual travel policy wih Allianz.ch for CHF 230 (ish) as it worked out the most cost effective and means she has cover for a whole year. for other trips. My French CPAM & mutuelle also didn't have specific wording the Thai's require, so I got my annual travel cover with Axa.fr. An important feature to look for is being covered against positive test on arrival/departure, or if you get pinged as being in close contact with someone with a positive test, so your mandatory confinement either in hospital or hotel (if you have no symptoms) is covered together with flight rescheduling etc.

For entry to Thailand you will need the Thai Pass which is an easy or difficult process depending on you doc's. You will need to book either the sandbox or test and go package depending upon where you are staying, and you need to ensure that the booking confirmation (if you use Agoda for example) states you have the ASH+ (in Bangkok for example) package that includes airport pick up, hotel, RT-PCR on arrival, and day 6 ATK. Most people getting rejections is for this reason, 2nd most common is inadequate insurance, 3rd is that the neg COVID test cert does not state RT-PCR.

If you have all the doc's in the appropriate size and format, with vaccination QR codes, then the TP approval is done by the system and it's very quick. No QR codes and it's a manual process which can take up to 7 working days. The Thai Pass, can be applied for in some weeks in advance of travel, has a 72 hour window that allows for arrival date/time changes. No Thai Pass, no entry to Thailand.

So it's all pretty straightforward, prepartion is the key.

17
Happy someone made it there.

Can confirm everything that Papa Goose wrote is exactly what we did. This is how we got our Thai Pass issued even though we are not going in the end.

18
are you still going to visit Singapore?

19
No. We do not want to risk getting pinged for quarantine in case someone on the plane tests positive. Nor do we have the time to stay in quarantine.

You should call your airline to ask about their policy on how they select passengers to quarantine in case another passenger tests positive.

We are getting our boosters this week and will rebook at some point in the future. Safe travels.

20
Thailand has just changed the rules from yesterday. If you don’t have your QR pass you will be restricted to quarantine or the Phuket sandbox. The 1 day quarantine is off for the moment.

As for the swab, the Singapore and Thai authorities will accept any of the ones from the airport, the Ender tests in T2 and the bus station will report back in 3h.

Tests to come home shouldn’t be a problem, according to my nicer half any private hospital in Bangkok will do you a PCR or Antigen that will be accepted but not as fast. If you check on the Swiss site they recommend VFS Global who have a range of providers.