Singapore drops pre-departure requirements for travelers, further eases mask rules

SINGAPORE — Singapore is acceptable to let non-fully vaccinated travelers to participate the state without a antagonistic pre-departure trial from adjacent week, wellness authorities announced Thursday.

The state is acceptable to region mask-wearing connected nationalist transport from Monday, arsenic it seeks to exit the "acute phase" of the pandemic, said the Ministry of Health.

The country's Covid task force, created successful January 2020, volition beryllium deactivated.

"Our Covid concern has remained unchangeable implicit the caller months, contempt accrued question implicit the twelvemonth and holidays and China's displacement from zero Covid," said Singapore's lawman premier curate Lawrence Wong, who is besides co-chair of the Covid task force.

"Our colonisation has developed a precocious level of hybrid immunity. The hazard of infections starring to terrible unwellness oregon deaths is precise debased — comparable to different endemic respiratory diseases similar influenza."

All travelers entering Singapore via aerial oregon oversea indispensable inactive to taxable a wellness declaration earlier oregon connected arrival, said the ministry.

In summation to removing the request to amusement impervious of a antagonistic pre-departure test, abbreviated word visitors volition besides not beryllium required to bargain Covid question insurance.

Previously, non afloat vaccinated visitors were required to trial antagonistic for Covid wrong 2 days anterior to their departure for Singapore.

While non-fully vaccinated travelers tin participate Singapore without pre-departure tests, vaccinated question lanes volition stay "for reactivation," should determination beryllium planetary developments of interest specified arsenic caller variants, authorities said.

Singapore opened vaccinated question lanes successful April 2022 to facilitate harmless resumption of planetary travel.

After locking down ample parts of the city-state and ramping up question and eating restrictions astatine the commencement of the pandemic successful 2020, Singapore began lifting astir of its Covid restrictions successful April.

Further Covid measures were eased astatine the extremity of August, arsenic authorities removed indoor disguise requirements and allowed non-fully vaccinated travelers to skip quarantine connected arrival.

Mask-wearing connected nationalist transport and indoor wellness settings volition nary longer beryllium mandatory.

However, mask-wearing is inactive required beryllium successful places like hospital wards, clinics and nursing homes, wherever determination is "interaction with patients" and "indoor patient-facing areas," the wellness ministry said.

"This is to amended support patients and healthcare workers from infectious diseases successful general," it added.

The Ministry of Health said that backstage enterprises whitethorn besides take to support mask-wearing requirements arsenic institution argumentation for workplace wellness and safety, oregon "business continuity reasons."

Singapore volition further downgrade its illness outbreak response, bringing it backmost to pre-pandemic levels.

As such, Singapore's Multi-Ministry Taskforce — formed successful January 2020 successful effect to Covid-19 — volition besides basal down.

The framework, known locally arsenic Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON), volition beryllium adjusted to greenish from yellow. That indicates the illness is mild and determination is minimal disruption to regular life.

The color-coded strategy starts from greenish astatine the lowest level, to yellow, orangish and reddish — the highest hazard level. At the tallness of the pandemic, Singapore raised the level to orange.

Singapore reported 377 cases of Covid-19 connected Wednesday, with infections continuing to autumn from a grounds 26,032 cases astir a twelvemonth agone connected Feb. 22.

Most of those infected successful Singapore person had mild oregon nary symptoms.

According to the Ministry of Health, astir 92% of the colonisation has completed the superior vaccination bid arsenic of January, portion 83% has "minimum protection" — which refers to the superior bid and archetypal booster shot.

As of Feb. 7, lone 48% has received up-to-date vaccination, which means receiving a 2nd booster dose betwixt 5 months to 1 twelvemonth from the first.