As travelers get used to the “new normal” of undergoing mandatory 14-day quarantines upon arrival at several destinations around the world, one would think things couldn’t get much worse.
I mean… what’s worse than paying for a vacation only to be stuck in a hotel room the entire time, not even allowed to leave… right?
Well imagine that restriction, coupled with being forced to wear an electronic tracking tag monitoring your every move.
Bringing the mandate enforcement to a whole new level of crazy – Singapore is actually forcing incoming travelers (even their own citizens and residents) to wear an electronic tracking device which will alert authorities should they dare leave their quarantine location.
Violating quarantine could result in a $10,000 ($7,272 USD) and up to 6 months in jail.
The electronic tag works with GPS and Bluetooth signals, and authorities will send several “alerts” via the tracking device each day which users must respond to ASAP.
Absolute madness.
Innocent people are being treated as (literal) prisoners in their own home.
These aren’t even people WITH COVID-19 – these are normal healthy adults who simply traveled either outside their country, or into Singapore.
Oh, but wait, there’s more.
Singapore has a handful of select countries like China, Taiwan, and Vietnam where they’ll let travelers pick the location of their own quarantine, such as a hotel or home of their choice.
How kind of them. Insert eyeroll.
But for the rest of visitors to Singapore…
… they will be forced to quarantine at a government location AND pay for it out of pocket.
Thankfully, it’s unlikely many Americans will choose or be able to go to Singapore anytime soon.
While Singapore has some agreements with other countries like Malaysia through the “Reciprocal Green Lane” – which allows residents to travel between both countries for essential travel, and the “fast lane” which permits residents from China to enter for business – no such agreement exists with the United States.
The Singapore Tourism Board stated:
“Short-term visitors are not allowed entry into Singapore, except those coming in under the Green/Fast Lane arrangements or with special prior approval. Singapore has also ceased port calls for all cruise vessels.”
Any traveler wanting to visit Singapore would need to get special approval from authorities – yeah good luck with that.
The latest “safety measure” shows apparently nothing is off limits and government authorities will take advantage of a crisis to exert more power and control over people.
Think about it…
… if I would have told you that one year ago – heck even 6 months ago – that if you traveled you’d have to present negative test results to prove you don’t have a virus, self-quarantine for 14-days (possibly even at a government facility), or wear an electronic tracking device – you would have LAUGHED and called me a conspiracy theorist.
Yet, here we are.
Free people are being treated as slaves, all in the name of “stopping COVID-19”.
The scary thing is, other countries like Hong Kong and South Korea have used similar electronic tracking devices to monitor travelers.
While the State Department has lifted its “Level 4 Do Not Travel” advisory worldwide, they are still cautioning many Americans to avoid travel.
So much of the world is unstable, and the international travel industry is a volatile place.
And just to play it out – what if you actually DID test positive for COVID-19 in another country?
Who knows where they’d throw you and lock you up… scary to think about.
Do as you wish, but my advice is to accept the fact you won’t be traveling internationally for the remainder of 2020.
Yeah I know, it’s a tough pill to swallow.
But it sure beats being quarantined in a government run facility or forced to wear an electronic tracking device as if you’re some kind of animal.
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