回」家「 疫情之下的回坡日記 Going "Home": An Expatriate's COVID-19 Travel Diary
國內疫情剛剛發展起來的時候我剛從新加坡回到瀋陽過年。當時新加坡疫情還不太嚴重，雖然二月份開始收緊對短期遊客簽證的發放，不過政策整體上還是比較佛系。再加上我拿的是較長期的工作簽證，所以並沒有很擔心回坡入境的問題。沒想到後來回新加坡的計劃經歷了一波三折，折騰了好幾個星期才順利回坡。
I was on vacation in my hometown in Shenyang, China when COVID-19 began spreading through China around the Lunar New Year.
At the time there were only a handful of confirmed cases in Singapore, where I』ve lived and worked for the past four years. Back then, the Singaporean government had adopted a rather hands-off approach towards the virus, which had yet to be declared a pandemic. I was not worried about my trip back to Singapore, as I hold a work visa in a famously business-friendly country.
在計劃回新加坡的前兩天晚上，新加坡突然出台了政策，要求所有入境十四天前在中國境內逗留過的工作簽證持有者都要通過所在單位向人力部（MOM）提交申請，收到批覆後才可以入境。我記得特別清楚，政策是周五晚上出台的，而我原定的航班在周日。周末MOM不接受和審批申請材料，我當下就明白自己肯定是無法按照計劃回坡了。
But two days before my scheduled return, the Singaporean government announced a new policy regarding the re-entry of residents holding work visas. hose seeking to enter the country now needed to apply, via their employers, for entry approval from the Ministry of Manpower, in whose hands the fate of travellers now lie.
Immediately, I had to cancel my flight, then scheduled on a Sunday, as the MOM did not process applications on weekends.
這項申請並不是單純填張表那麼簡單，除了在職證明，還需要我在新加坡的房東同意書，表示同意我落地新加坡之後的14天在他的房子裡自我隔離。了解了這一系列要求之後，我就開始連軸轉了：一邊聯繫公司和房東收集材料，一邊還得聯繫航空公司改簽機票。那個時候，從瀋陽直飛新加坡的航班都已經停飛。經停首爾或者東南亞其他國家也不可行，因為基本所有海外機場已經開始禁止過去14天在中國逗留過的人中轉或過境了。萬幸的是，當時國航還剩下一班經停成都的航班，我在慶幸之餘，立即著手辦理改簽。
The application process was itself a labyrinthine endeavor. In addition to an application form, I had to provide a reference letter from my employer and an approval letter from my landlord in Singapore demonstrating his willingness to let me stay for the 14-day quarantine upon my return.
而改簽機票的過程也是多舛。國際機票改簽只有打電話這一個途徑。那段時間因為疫情改變旅行計劃的旅客太多，國航的服務電話每天都爆滿，我只好挑人最少的半夜試試運氣。一直到了周日凌晨五點終於打通。總算在原定航班起飛前將機票改簽到了下周四。
Facing this bureaucratic bombardment, I had no time to chafe. I immediately busied myself with phone calls and emails to the relevant parties, taking pains to change my flight as well.
Booking the flight was another palpitating endeavour -- especially when flying from Shenyang, a city with limited flight options to Singapore. It took awhile, but finally, I got the documents and flights settled -- I was ready to leave, or so I thought.
當時直接定了下周四的機票有兩個原因。一是出國的航班每天都在收緊，美國禁止中國護照入境航班停飛的例子就在眼前，總怕哪天僅剩的幾條新加坡航線也要徹底停飛，所以很著急地想要敲定新的行程。二是當時還天真地以為申請只是走個過場。畢竟材料齊全，預留MOM官方宣布的兩天工作日審核時間，我應該會在周四之前收到申請的批覆。
Without hesitation I booked the next flight available, scheduled for the following Thursday. I was afraid that if I delayed my return I may not be able to fly back as flights were being cancelled by the day. Also, I was quite confident (or naïve, in retrospect) that I could get approval on Monday because I had already prepared the required documents.
但2020好像從不按常理出牌，做好準備周四要回新加坡了，卻在周三收到公司郵件說我的入境申請沒有通過。MOM拒信沒有說明哪個條件不符合或哪個材料需要補交，只是單方面告知結果並且沒有提及對此結果的疑問或上訴。
But 2020 never fails to surprise! When I was getting ready for the rescheduled flight on Wednesday, I was informed that my application was rejected without further explanation.
收到拒信的我一頭霧水，趕緊上網去查了一下，據說確實有大量的申請未被批准。新加坡政府聲明說這是為了控制回坡的人流，被拒絕者可以再次申請。從政府的角度考慮，也許這是一種行之有效的限流方法，但是對於我們這樣「被限流」的申請者，一種束手無策感油然而生，不知道要怎麼修改自己的申請才能增加一些通過的籌碼。
I could not make sense of it at all. The Singapore government then clarified that this was to split the returnees into smaller groups for better monitoring and management. Those who were rejected could apply again. Perhaps this did achieve its objective in downsizing the streams of people returning, but for rejected applicants like myself, it left us feeling lost and helpless. I could not figure out what I should do to increase my chance of getting approved for my second (and god forbid third or fourth) application(s).
即使幸運通過了申請，這項審批結果也只有三天有效，這意味著申請者如果不在收到批准郵件的三天以內進入新加坡的海關，入境許可就會自動失效。可是就像第一次改簽一樣，即使不考慮最後一分鐘訂機票的成本問題，在像我所在的非一線城市買到一張符合三天內入境時間的機票難度也遠遠大於平時。
Even if I had gotten approval, it would only have been valid for three days. This means the applicant may not be able to return if they fail to book a flight within that window. Amidst the flight cancellations and soaring prices of the pandemic, the three-day rule added fuel to the fire of my anxiety.
但是神奇的2020年里真的什麼事情都可能會發生，基本不太抱希望的第二次申請竟然毫無預兆地通過了。雖然機票再次改簽已成奢侈，我也非常幸運地在三月份中國新加坡全部航班停飛前，買到了最後幾班的機票。但是看著新加坡幾個微信公眾號的讀者留言，大部分人沒有我的這種幸運，好幾次申請無法通過或著無法在規定時間內返回新加坡的居民大有人在。
