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Explainer | Omicron travel restrictions: from Singapore to Japan, Australia to India, here’s what Asian countries are doing to fight the new coronavirus variant
- Governments across the region are tightening entry requirements and quarantine rules for travellers in response to the potentially more transmissible variant
- This Week in Asia writers have the lowdown on the latest measures
Reading Time:10 minutes
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Travellers have been left scrambling to salvage their Christmas holidays as governments across Asia tighten their entry and quarantine rules following the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Hong Kong has been among the first to act. Since Monday it has added at least 16 countries – including Japan, Canada and Australia – to its high-risk Group A tier, meaning a 21-day quarantine period for returning residents and a complete block on non-residents.
However, it is far from alone in tightening its measures and some Asian countries have either blocked or are considering blocking visitors from Hong Kong following the discovery of the Omicron variant in travellers undergoing hotel quarantine in the city.
Below, This Week in Asia writers have the latest on what Asian countries are doing to fight the new variant.
Singapore
In Singapore, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has likened the Omicron variant to the latest twist in a “snake and ladders” situation.
Aisyah Llewellyn is a British freelance journalist based in Medan, Indonesia. She writes primarily about Indonesian law and human rights and her work has appeared in the Post, Al Jazeera and CNN. She also writes an Indonesian true crime newsletter named Hukum.
Amrit used to work for the BBC in London but decided to return to her country of origin, India, over 15 years ago. Apart from travel articles, she reports on every aspect of Indian society. Rajasthan is her favourite state because of the magnificence of its forts and palaces, the great Thar Desert, exquisite handicrafts, and a colour palette so glorious it can lift the lowest spirits.
Park Chan-kyong is a journalist covering South Korean affairs for the South China Morning Post. He previously worked at the Agence France-Presse's Seoul bureau for 35 years. He studied political science at Korea University and economics at the Yonsei University Graduate School.
Julian Ryall never expected to still be in Japan 24 years after he first arrived, but he quickly realised its advantages over his native London. He lives in Yokohama with his wife and children and writes for publications around the world.
Raissa Robles has written for the SCMP since 1996. A freelance journalist specialising in politics, international relations, business and Muslim rebellion, she has contributed to Reuters, the Economist Intelligence Unit, Daily Mail, Times of London, Radio Netherlands and Asiaweek. She runs the award-winning investigative and opinion blog, raissarobles.com. Her book, Marcos Martial Law: Never Again, a brief history of the dictatorship won the 2017 National Book Awards for Non-Fiction. Her Twitter handle is @raissawriter.
Jitsiree Thongnoi started writing for the South China Morning Post in 2019. She previously worked at the Straits Times and the Bangkok Post.
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