Vacationers who should not totally vaccinated is not going to should be in quarantine from Monday

People sit outside a bar in Emily Hill, Singapore on Monday, August 22, 2022.

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SINGAPORE – Singapore is expected to allow under-vaccinated travelers to skip the quarantine on arrival from Monday, authorities announced on Wednesday.

The country will also lift indoor mask requirements from August 29, taking another step towards living with Covid.

While the further easing of security and border measures is a “significant milestone,” the country must be “mentally prepared for any sudden change because we don’t know how this virus will mutate and what the next variant will be like,” Singapores said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is also co-chair of the Singapore Covid Task Force.

Visitors who are not fully vaccinated are still required to test negative for Covid within 2 days of their departure for Singapore. However, they no longer have to complete a 7-day quarantine at home or where they live.

Currently, fully vaccinated travelers can enter Singapore without taking Covid-19 tests or undergoing quarantine.

Unvaccinated long-term visitors and short-term visitors aged 13 and over are currently required to apply for an entry permit to enter Singapore. According to the Ministry of Health, this requirement will also be lifted from Monday.

Relaxation of the mask requirement

Masks are optional indoors and required from Monday in special environments, e.g. B. in public transport and in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and ambulances, the health ministry said. They are optional in taxis, private rental cars and at the airport.

“The reason is that we have identified areas where essential services are carried out in closed, crowded spaces and which are often used by vulnerable people,” said Wong, who is also the country’s finance minister.

The decision to lift the mask requirement was first announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday.

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Masks are currently required in almost all indoor spaces, with the exception of workplaces where there is no physical interaction or customer-facing areas.

“Companies and employers are free to choose whether or not to do this at their own discretion [from] From a workplace safety perspective … we are removing a mandatory requirement for mask wearing, but it is optional,” Wong said.

booster

In preparation for the next Omicron wave, the Department of Health said a second mRNA Covid booster is now recommended for those aged 60 and over.

Previously, second booster shots were only recommended for people aged 80 and over.

Around 93% of the population completed the primary vaccination series on Monday, while 79% of the general population received booster shots.

The high refreshment rate is a “key reason” the nation is weathering the current Covid wave, Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said.

Ong stressed the need to extend recommendations for the second booster shot to those aged 60 to 79 – five months after their first booster shot – even though the first booster shot offers strong protection against major diseases for this age group.

The Department of Health also recommended that children between the ages of 5 and 11 receive a booster shot – five months after the second dose of their primary series – to boost their protection.

Covid situation in Singapore

There are plans for a possible new Covid wave, perhaps in winter, Wong said.

“We continue to monitor closely and have drawer plans in place for various contingencies, including expanding our healthcare capacity, as well as … vaccination surgeries if and when needed,” Wong said at Wednesday’s news conference.

He added that these plans would “buy us time” should there be an aggressive and dangerous Covid wave.

Average daily infections over a 7-day period fell to 2,700 on Tuesday, while daily infections continued to fall from a record 26,032 infections on February 22. Most of those infected in Singapore have mild or no symptoms.

At the end of April, the Southeast Asian country further eased the Covid measures. Social gatherings are no longer limited to 10 people and people are no longer required to keep 1 meter apart.

People wearing face masks as a preventive measure against the spread of Covid-19 in Singapore.

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Separate rules for unvaccinated people were also scrapped in April, with some exceptions.

Those who are not vaccinated are still not allowed to eat or attend events with more than 500 people. Also, you cannot visit nightclubs where there is dancing.

However, food and drink stores are not required to check customers’ vaccination status, the health ministry said in a press release.