Prime Minister Scott Morrison with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian in Sydney on Monday.Credit:Nick Moir
But with Singapore in partial lockdown since May 16 as a result of rising COVID cases,the restrictions in place in the island-nation have limited the size of the Australian delegation.
People are only permitted to gather in groups of two at present. That will allow Morrison to be accompanied by an adviser and then to meet Lee at the presidential palace,The Istana,but most of the Australian travelling party will remain at the airport in transit during the six-hour visit.
Discussions have taken place about what kind of COVID-19 test Morrison and a small team conducting bilateral talks will have after disembarking.
Arrivals fromAustralia are allowed to enter without having to undergo the 21 days’ quarantine that applies to people from most other countries flying into Singapore. But they can only enter the general community after receiving a negative result to a PCR test conducted at the airport and there has been no exemption made for Morrison.
PM Scott Morrison with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore in 2019.Credit:AP
The result takes about four hours but aides have been investigating how the process can be fast-tracked and whether Morrison can instead undergo a rapid antigen test,the results of which are typically generated in 30 minutes.
While he has been vaccinated,planning has also centred on how to shield the Prime Minister and the Australian delegation from possible infection. Virus numbers have been falling - there were five new positive tests in the community on Monday -but unlinked cases in previous days have continued to be a concern here.