Singapore has decided to ease COVID-19 entry restrictions as the pandemic abates. Because currently the daily infection numbers continue to fall and rates are stabilizing. For this reason, the country authority has declared to remove the requirement for taking a pre-arrival test for travelers. It also scrapped the limit on group sizes and safe distancing.
The southeast Asian hub is trying to move with the growing roster of nations that are working to remove entry restrictions. The Singapore government took the step as the infection rate is decreasing. They can proceed with further easing of community and travel measures.
In Singapore, the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) is monitoring the infection level over the time of the pandemic. It indicates that the disease situation moved from orange to yellow recently. The alert level has been lowered for the first time since the pandemic started.
Singapore finance minister and co-chair of the government’s coronavirus task force Lawrence Wong said, “With these changes, we can now have a well-deserved breather, after two very difficult years of fighting the virus.” He also said, “But let’s always remember, we are getting closer to the finish line, but the race is not over and the pandemic is certainly not over.”
However, many restrictions are still effective for non-vaccinated individuals. They have to wear masks in indoor public settings and on public transport. In a press conference, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said, “On the whole, things continue to look up for us. Our social resilience is strong and now we are in a comfortable position. We can therefore afford to take further steps to restore pre-Covid-19 normalcy.”