Singapore — A few weeks after being classified as a high-risk country, Singapore’s Covid-19 certificate is now considered equal to the European Union’s (EU) certificate, making travel movements to and from the EU easier.
In a press release on Wednesday (Nov 24), the European Commission announced that it was adopting two new decisions certifying that Covid-19 certificates issued by Singapore and Togo, a West African nation on the Gulf of Guinea, are equivalent to the EU Digital Covid Certificate.
“As a result, the two countries will be connected to the EU’s system,” said the Commission noting the two countries’ certificates will be accepted under the same conditions as the EU counterpart.
Consequently, the two countries agreed to accept the EU’s certificate for travel from the EU to their countries.
“To this date, we have 51 countries and territories in five continents that are now connected to the EU Digital Covid Certificate system. I am delighted also that we have the first Southeast Asian country and the first sub-Saharan African country that will be interconnected to the Digital COVID Certificate. With the end of the year holidays approaching, I want to reaffirm to travellers the importance of this tool to underpin the confidence to travel inside and outside the EU,” said Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders.
The Embassy of Denmark in Singapore also took to Facebook to announce the news.
“If you are travelling to Denmark, that means that you can use your Singaporean certificate to prove your vaccination status or avoid quarantine,” the post noted.
The announcement came after Singapore was reclassified by the EU on Nov 11 as a country with a high risk of Covid-19 infections. As a result, travellers from Singapore were given a 10-day isolation period.
The recognition of both certificates as equal is effective beginning Thursday (Nov 25).
The EU’s digital certificate is used to prove a person’s vaccination status, updated negative test results or recovery from the virus.
All EU citizens and their family members and non-EU nationals who are legally staying or residing in a member state and have the right to travel to other member states are given the certificate.
The EU certificate is accepted in all member states, ensuring that restrictions currently in place can be lifted in a coordinated manner.
The European Commission notes on its website that when travelling, the certificate holder “should in principle be exempt from free movement restrictions: member states should refrain from imposing additional travel restrictions on the holders of an EU Digital Covid Certificate unless they are necessary and proportionate to safeguard public health.” /TISG
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