Oral Answer by Ministry of National Development on whether the Government will consider implementing a tiered pricing schedule, aligned with tiered Stay-Home Notice Dedicated Facilities

Feb 25, 2021

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Government will consider implementing a tiered pricing schedule, aligned with tiered Stay-Home Notice Dedicated Facilities so as to offer inbound travellers a choice of accommodation that is commensurate with their affordability and level of comfort.

Answer:

The current Stay-Home-Notice Dedicated Facilities (“SDF”) system was set up in March 2020 to isolate returning travellers until they were found to be free of COVID-19. Protecting the community from imported cases is our key priority, and multiple agencies and hotel partners work closely together to implement health, security, transport and accommodation arrangements to do so. The system has served about 190,000 travellers since its formation. 

Travellers are “bubble wrapped” from the moment that they arrive at the checkpoints all the way to the SDFs, with strict infection prevention and control measures maintained throughout the process. To minimise operational complexity, travellers are assigned to the SDFs when they arrive at the checkpoints. As travellers cannot choose their SDF and the cost structure is largely similar, a standard fee is charged regardless of the SDF that they are assigned to.

At the same time, we recognise that certain travellers may have specific needs. For instance, those who require elderly or disability-friendly facilities, or those travelling with children, minors may require specific room arrangements. We will consider appeals on a case-by-case basis, based on the travellers’ financial or personal circumstances.

We understand that travellers would like to have more choice and flexibility for their SDFs. We are constantly reviewing our system and studying ways to provide travellers with more options to meet their preferences and budgets, without compromising the safety of travellers, operational staff, and importantly, the community.