8 travellers under investigation for making false declarations to avoid serving SHN at dedicated facilities

Eight travellers who arrived from South Korea and Thailand earlier this month are being investigated for making false declarations in their applications to opt out of serving their Stay-Home Notice (SHN) at dedicated SHN facilities.

According to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a statement on Thursday (19 Nov), the eight travellers under investigation include four Singaporeans, two Permanent Residents (PRs), and two long-term pass holders.

Prior to their arrival between 5 and 12 November 2020, they had applied to opt out of serving their SHN at dedicated SHN facilities, and to instead serve their SHN at their place of residence.

In their applications, they had declared that they would be occupying their place of residence alone, or only with household members with the same travel history and serving SHN of the same duration.

However, checks by enforcement officers between 6 and 13 November found that the travellers were residing with household members who were not serving SHN.

The ICA noted that all eight of them were conveyed to dedicated SHN facilities, adding that their cases have been handed over to the Police for investigations, which may potentially lead to prosecution in court.

If found guilty, the authorities will review the immigration status of the four non-Singaporeans.

The two PRs may have their statuses revoked, while the two long-term pass holders may have their re-entry permits and/or passes cancelled or shortened.

“As a precautionary measure to safeguard public health, the household members, who were not on SHN, have been issued with a SHN,” said the ICA.

Criteria for travellers to opt out of dedicated SHN facilities

Since 4 November, travellers from nine countries who are returning to Singapore are permitted to serve their SHN in the comfort of their homes here.

The selected countries are Estonia, Fiji, Finland, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Turkey, as stated by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on 27 October.

Eligible visitors from these countries can apply to opt out of being placed at dedicated SHN facilities.

However, they must not have been travelling outside of the aforementioned nine countries in the last 14 days prior their entry into Singapore.

Additionally, these travellers must stay in a suitable place of residence by themselves, or only with household members who share the same travel history and SHN duration.

They must also ensure that they remain at their declared place of residence at all times, and will be required to wear an electronic monitoring device. The device must be turned on once they reach their place of residence.

Read: Netizens chastise Govt for being ‘complacent’, warns of possible second wave with international travellers serving SHN at home