COVID-19: To Mask or not to Mask
Masks optional outdoors starting today 29 Mar 2022
Singapore will see its most significant easing of measures in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic from Tuesday (Mar 29). For two years, masks were the norm - indoors, outdoors, even during exercise.
Last week, however, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the easing of a raft of measures in “a major step towards living with COVID-19”, but stopped short of a complete opening up. From tomorrow, people will be able to remove their masks when outdoors. Individuals can gather and dine-in at restaurants in groups of up to 10 people. More people will see their colleagues in the office, and live performances will return.
Places that are sheltered but with open access will generally be regarded as outdoor areas. These include HDB void decks, bus stops, open-air sheltered walkways and bridges, as well as parks, fields and nature trails. The 1m safe distancing rule will still be required in all mask-off environments.
Optional to wear masks outdoors as Singapore takes 'decisive step' in living with COVID-19
Mask-wearing outdoors optional from Tuesday (Mar 29)
Singapore will raise the size of group gatherings from five to 10 people and make mask-wearing outdoors optional from Tuesday (Mar 29), announced Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday as part of the country’s “decisive step forward” towards living with COVID-19.
Other changes to the country's safe management measures include allowing up to 75 per cent of employees who can work from home to return to their workplace, and raising the capacity limit for larger events to 75 per cent.
It will remain mandatory for people to wear a mask indoors, although donning one outdoors will be optional as the risk of outdoor transmission is “significantly lower”, said Mr Lee in a televised address to the nation. Safe distancing requirements – keeping a 1m distance between groups where masks are off – will remain in place for now to minimise transmission in mask-off settings.
5 things to know about Singapore's updated COVID-19 measures
Singapore has adjusted its COVID-19 measures as the country continues its transition to living with the coronavirus. “We will simplify our safe management measures so that they are easier for businesses and people, individuals to understand and comply with," said co-chair of the multi-ministry task force Gan Kim Yong on Wednesday (Feb 16).
"This will also encourage a greater sense of personal responsibility, which will play an increasingly important part in our journey towards COVID resilience." While Singapore is in the midst of an Omicron wave, its high vaccination and booster jab rates, along with safe management measures, have kept the number of severe cases low, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). Singapore can further ease measures when the number of cases starts to come down, Mr Gan added.
But for now, here's what you need to know about the key changes to safe management measures:
- Safe distancing will no longer be a requirement if masks are worn
- Group size for social gatherings remains at five, but households can have five visitors at any one time
- 50% of work-from-home employees allowed back in the office, with no restrictions on cross-deployment
- Size limits for events like weddings, religious services and funerals will be lifted
- Resuming sports activities
'Possible' to live with Omicron as severe cases remain low despite surge
It is “possible” to live with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, as the number of cases with severe outcomes remain low despite the surge in cases, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Tuesday (Feb 8). Speaking at the Singapore Health Quality Service Awards 2022, Mr Ong thanked healthcare workers for their efforts amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Adding that the Ministry of Health (MOH) will monitor the trajectory of the transmission wave closely, he noted that “every country will experience and even shape the curve of their transmission wave”.
The wave could rise sharply and come crashing down in a few weeks such as in South Africa and Australia, or it could remain moderately high for slightly longer like in the Netherlands or Denmark, he added. “We are trying to co-exist with a force of nature, with measures that we have put in place such as restrained social behaviours and vaccinations. No one knows exactly what the impact of these measures will be, what the final trend line will look like, and what is on the other side of Omicron,” said the Health Minister.
“But it is however comforting and encouraging is that among patients infected, the number of cases with severe clinical outcomes remains low despite the sharp surge in cases. This means it is possible to live with Omicron.” The current Omicron wave is registering daily cases a few times more than that of the Delta wave “as expected”, and the numbers may go up even more, said Mr Ong.
Denmark, Like England, Removing All COVID-19 Restrictions from 1 Feb
Following the announcements of COVID-19 restrictions being lifted from the United Kingdom (UK), France, Ireland, and the Netherlands in the last two weeks, in spite of the high number of Omicron cases flooding the European continent, Denmark has decided to remove its remaining COVID-19 restrictions next week.
After a month-long lockdown two weeks ago, Denmark had already begun loosening COVID-19 restrictions by reopening cinemas and music venues, though opening hours, curfews, and mandatory face masks remained in place.
In a letter written to the government, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke stated that the government has chosen to follow the recommendations given by an expert panel to withdraw all COVID-19 restrictions.
Denmark aims to scrap all domestic COVID-19 curbs by February
A pop-up vaccination center set-up in Faelledparken, for those attending the concert by a Danish band, "The Minds of 99" amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 11, 2021
England lifts COVID restrictions as omicron threat recedes
Workers walk over London Bridge towards the City of London financial district during the morning commute, in London, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. The British government have asked people to return to working in offices starting Monday as they ease coronavirus restrictions. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Most coronavirus restrictions including mandatory face masks were lifted in England on Thursday, after Britain’s government said its vaccine booster rollout successfully reduced serious illness and COVID-19 hospitalizations.
From Thursday, face coverings are no longer required by law anywhere in England, and a legal requirement for COVID passes for entry into nightclubs and other large venues has been scrapped. The government last week dropped its advice for people to work from home as well as guidance for face coverings in classrooms. The so-called “Plan B” measures were introduced in early December to stop the rapid spread of the omicron variant from overwhelming health services and to buy time for the population to get its booster vaccine shot.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government’s vaccine rollout, testing and development of antiviral treatments combine to make “some of the strongest defenses in Europe,” allowing a “cautious return” to normality. But he added that “as we learn to live with COVID, we need to be clear eyed that this virus is not going away.” While infections continue to fall, health officials said that omicron remained prevalent across the country, especially among children and the elderly.
People in England no need to wear face masks as Covid-19 restrictions lifted
“As we learn to live with COVID"
Starting Jan. 27, face coverings will no longer be required by law anywhere in England, as most Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted there, AP reported. Britain’s government said its vaccine booster roll-out successfully reduced serious illness and Covid-19 hospitalisations, which allowed the easing of measures. Along with the no mask needed mandate, the legal requirement for Covid-19 passes for entry into nightclubs and other large venues has also been scrapped.
A week before this latest measures were announced, the government dropped its advice for people to work from home, as well as guidance for face coverings in classrooms. But precautions remain. As the government moved away from legal measures, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said face coverings will still be required on the capital's buses and subway trains. Some shops are still asking consumers to mask up.
The legal requirement for those infected to self-isolate for five full days remains. But that measure will end soon to be replaced with advice and guidance for those infected to be cautious. Health officials have said they are planning to treat Covid-19 more like the flu as a long-term strategy.
As Omicron ebbs, England revives Plan A: living with COVID
After an uncomfortable but relatively brief return to coronavirus restrictions triggered by the Omicron variant, England is going back to "Plan A" - learning to live with a disease that is probably here to stay.
The bet is that booster jabs, antiviral pills and Omicron's lower severity will enable the government to manage outbreaks of a virus that cannot be shut out. Other countries equally keen to unshackle business and personal freedom will be watching. Work-from-home guidance ended last week, and measures such as mask mandates and COVID passes, also introduced in England last month, lapsed on Thursday, returning the rules to where they were last July.
The UK Health Security Agency is preparing to switch focus to supporting vulnerable individuals rather than imposing national rules, according to a draft policy seen by Reuters. "As we evolve to move to living with COVID, UKHSA's COVID-19 response will move from a whole nation approach to a targeted response, focused on protecting the vulnerable," read the paper, titled "UKHSA COVID-19 Vision - DRAFT".
COVID-19: Singapore abandoning ‘Zero COVID’ strategy
From Monday (Nov 22), fully vaccinated people can dine together in groups of up to five, even if they are not from the same household. The two-person cap on social gatherings will also be raised to five persons, and households may take in up to five distinct visitors a day from Monday.
The changes came after the Government announced that the Covid-19 "stabilisation phase" will end on Sunday. In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that Singapore will move into the “transition phase” of its reopening plan, bringing the country back on track on its four-stage roadmap to live with Covid-19.
Right now, fully vaccinated people are allowed to dine at food establishments in groups of up to five only if they are from the same household. If they are from different households, they may only dine in pairs. The easing of measures were in view of the Covid-19 situation having improved since the stabilisation phase was extended for a month in October.
Singapore Confronts the Division and Fear That Come From Living With Covid
Just weeks ago, Singapore seemed like a poster child for pandemic management. With more than 80% of its population fully vaccinated and a road map in place for easing its strict Covid-19 rules, the city state seemed ready to live with the virus in a way that few countries were.
Then, infection rates began to soar. Now, the island nation is looking more like a real-time illustration of how challenging the pivot away from a Covid elimination strategy is going to be. For other places that have taken a zero-tolerance approach to the virus -- such as China, Hong Kong and Australia -- it’s a valuable lesson.
For parts of Singapore’s own population, the shift has become a source of tension, division and fear that’s posing a communications conundrum for policy makers.
Singapore is trying to do what no other country has done: pivot away from COVID-zero. Will it work?
For a few months after Singapore detected its first case of COVID-19 on Jan. 23, 2020, the city was credited for its ability to control the pandemic without resorting to a lockdown. Targeted travel restrictions and aggressive contact tracing kept cases low in the city despite its proximity to China. Yet as COVID became a global pandemic, Singapore was pushed to adopt more dramatic measures. On Feb. 8, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong admitted that it might be “futile to try to trace every contact” as more untraceable local cases emerged. Then a March wave of imported cases drove the government to take drastic action: It closed its border on March 23, 2020, to all short-term pass holders and tourists.
That decision has been an economic and existential catastrophe for Singapore. As Southeast Asia’s most important trade and business hub, its wealth and raison d’être depend on openness. According to data from Oxford Economics, air transit supports, either directly or indirectly, 375,000 jobs in Singapore—about 10% of the workforce. It contributes $36 billion a year to GDP, about 12% of the total. Since the borders shut, Changi, Singapore’s famously efficient airport, has been running at just 3% of its pre-pandemic capacity—with predictable results. The country has endured the deepest recession in its history, and its government has had to spend $100 billion, or 20% of GDP, shoring up the economy.
Now Singapore is changing direction. The country is about to become the first to go from a zero-tolerance approach to COVID-19 to one that will allow COVID to become endemic in its population. Its new approach is a contrast to that of its counterpart and sometimes-rival Hong Kong, which closed its borders on March 25, 2020. Both cities—like many other places in Asia—adopted a “COVID-zero” strategy, using social distancing and, in Singapore’s case, lockdowns to eradicate local cases of COVID-19 while using travel restrictions and inbound quarantine to control imported cases. Now, more than a year later, Singapore is cautiously reopening, while Hong Kong’s government has announced a raft of new inbound quarantine restrictions.
Living with the virus in Singapore
Before the pandemic, my wife and I visited Singapore many times and enjoyed the beauty of this Lion City. We stayed with our daughter and her family on Choa Chu Kang Avenue, a 45-minute Grab ride from the airport.
During my morning walks, I saw kamias trees lining the road, bus drivers waving with smiles, cars at a halt as I cross the streets, and pedestrians greeting me. I saw carts beautifully decorated with ribbons, and ladies in colorful umbrellas, their dogs wearing sunglasses. I also saw young students, boys and girls, outside school campuses at 9:30 in the morning loudly talking, others playing basketball in courts albeit football is the nation’s favorite sport. Nursery students 3-5 years old were in tow with their teachers; innocent faces, smiling as I touched their foreheads and blessed them, their small voices of “good morning” warmed me. There were old people, passing time in coffee shops; employees and students hurrying to catch a bus or train; people sitting on benches smoking, butts of cigarettes on sidewalks; seniors, men and women, cleaning toilets, parks, and train terminals.
I envied Singapore’s wide and open spaces between condominiums and housing units, big trees in columns beautifully aligned along the streets, wide sidewalks with benches, and numerous public sport facilities like swimming pools, stadiums, and wellness centers. I loved how women dried their clothes; as if raising a flag, they’d hang them on big sticks, lifting them till they reach tall and big “sampayans” placed by the windows and backdoors of their houses. Then sunlight would pierce them in a lovely orange glow.
Navigating the bumps in Singapore's road to living with Covid-19
A gradual realisation that too much confidence had been placed in the ability of vaccines to bring down infection numbers was one factor in Singapore's switch in approach from "zero-Covid" to "living with Covid-19".
At one low point last year amid this change of plans, the Government was also presented with a stark choice: Accept an uptick in infections as the country moved towards a situation in which the virus was endemic, or re-introduce restrictions to try to avoid a potential situation in which a number of elderly people would be hospitalised and dying of the virus.
The latter route was chosen - to "a collective national groan" - but Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the country's multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, believes it was the right call.
'New normal': 7 ways Singapore is moving towards living with COVID-19
Singapore will change testing and quarantine requirements for COVID-19 as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday (Oct 9) that people should update their mindsets and not be paralysed by fear of the virus.
The country will also introduce more vaccination-differentiated measures and expand home recovery to include more people as it moves towards the new normal of living with COVID-19.
Here are seven things you need to know about the changes Singapore is making:
- NO DINING-IN FOR UNVACCINATED PEOPLE
- NO QUARANTINE FOR CLOSE CONTACTS
- PCR TESTS ONLY FOR UNWELL PEOPLE
- HOME RECOVERY FOR MORE PEOPLE
- PROGRESS ON VACCINES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
- VACCINE BOOSTERS FOR MORE PEOPLE
- THREE TO SIX MONTHS FOR A ‘NEW NORMAL’
Singapore confirms first imported case of Monkeypox
The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday (21 June) confirmed one imported case of monkeypox infection in Singapore. The patient is a 42-year-old British man who works as a flight attendant and was in Singapore between 15 and 17 June, and again on 19 June as he flew in and out of Singapore.
He tested positive for monkeypox on 20 June and is currently warded in at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). His condition is stable while contact tracing is ongoing. The case had onset of headache on 14 June, and fever on 16 June. These symptoms subsequently resolved, and he then developed skin rashes on 19 June. He sought medical attention via teleconsultation on 19 June, and was conveyed to NCID on 20 June.
Contact tracing is ongoing for the affected flights and for the duration of the man’s stay in Singapore. During this period, he had mostly remained in his hotel room, except to visit a massage establishment, and eat at three food establishments on 16 June. The risk of transmission to visitors at these locations is low, as data has shown that monkeypox transmits through close physical or prolonged contact. All four locations visited by the case are undergoing cleaning and disinfection. As of Tuesday, 13 close contacts have been identified, and they will be placed on quarantine for 21 days since their last contact with the case.
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First case of Monkeypox in Singapore
On 9 May 2019, the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Singapore notified WHO of one laboratory-confirmed case of monkeypox. The case-patient is a 38 year old Nigerian man who arrived in Singapore on 28 April 2019 and attended a workshop from 29-30 April. Prior to his travel to Singapore, he had worked in the Delta state in Nigeria, and had attended a wedding on 21 April 2019 in a village in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
The patient developed fever, muscle aches, chills and skin rash on 30 April. He reported that he had remained in his hotel room most of the time between 1 and 7 May. He was transferred to a public hospital by ambulance on 7 May and referred to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) on the same day, where he was isolated for further management. Skin lesion samples were taken on 8 May and tested positive for monkeypox virus by the National Public Health Laboratory on the same day. He is currently in a stable condition.
Public health response - Based on investigations thus far, authorities in Singapore have traced and contacted a total of 23 close contacts, including 18 participants and trainers who attended the same workshop, one staff at the workshop venue, and four hotel staff who had close contact with the affected individual. Healthcare workers who were in contact with the patient had used personal protection equipment. MOH’s investigation and contact tracing operations are ongoing.
COVID-19 infections in Singapore:
- 25 Apr 2022: 2044 new cases, bringing total to 1,182,168
- 26 Apr 2022: 2058 new cases, bringing total to 1,184,226
- 27 Apr 2022: 3688 new cases, bringing total to 1,187,914
- 28 Apr 2022: 2646 new cases, bringing total to 1,190,560
- 29 Apr 2022: 2690 new cases, bringing total to 1,193,250
- 30 Apr 2022: 2517 new cases, bringing total to 1,195,767
- 01 May 2022: 2141 new cases, bringing total to 1,197,908
- 02 May 2022: 1732 new cases, bringing total to 1,199,640
- 03 May 2022: 1336 new cases, bringing total to 1,200,976
- 04 May 2022: 1570 new cases, bringing total to 1,202,546
- 05 May 2022: 1638 new cases, bringing total to 1,204,184
- 06 May 2022: 4733 new cases, bringing total to 1,208,917
- 07 May 2022: 3420 new cases, bringing total to 1,212,337
- 08 May 2022: 3162 new cases, bringing total to 1,215,499
- 09 May 2022: 2423 new cases, bringing total to 1,217,922
- 10 May 2022: 2271 new cases, bringing total to 1,220,193
- 11 May 2022: 4831 new cases, bringing total to 1,225,024
- 12 May 2022: 3890 new cases, bringing total to 1,228,914
- 13 May 2022: 3645 new cases, bringing total to 1,232,559
- 14 May 2022: 4291 new cases, bringing total to 1,236,850
- 15 May 2022: 3383 new cases, bringing total to 1,240,233
- 16 May 2022: 2651 new cases, bringing total to 1,242,884
- 17 May 2022: 2123 new cases, bringing total to 1,245,007
- 18 May 2022: 2664 new cases, bringing total to 1,247,671
- 19 May 2022: 6442 new cases, bringing total to 1,254,113
- 20 May 2022: 4578 new cases, bringing total to 1,258,691
- 21 May 2022: 4342 new cases, bringing total to 1,263,033
- 22 May 2022: 3775 new cases, bringing total to 1,266,808
- 23 May 2022: 2827 new cases, bringing total to 1,269,635
- 24 May 2022: 2751 new cases, bringing total to 1,272,386
- 25 May 2022: 5727 new cases, bringing total to 1,278,113
- 26 May 2022: 4167 new cases, bringing total to 1,282,280
- 27 May 2022: 3936 new cases, bringing total to 1,286,216
- 28 May 2022: 3830 new cases, bringing total to 1,290,046
- 29 May 2022: 3323 new cases, bringing total to 1,293,369
- 30 May 2022: 2551 new cases, bringing total to 1,295,920
- 31 May 2022: 2389 new cases, bringing total to 1,298,309
- 01 Jun 2022: 4985 new cases, bringing total to 1,303,294
- 02 Jun 2022: 3577 new cases, bringing total to 1,306,871
- 03 Jun 2022: 3745 new cases, bringing total to 1,310,616
- 04 Jun 2022: 3233 new cases, bringing total to 1,313,849
- 05 Jun 2022: 2879 new cases, bringing total to 1,316,728
- 06 Jun 2022: 2256 new cases, bringing total to 1,318,984
- 07 Jun 2022: 2162 new cases, bringing total to 1,321,146
- 08 Jun 2022: 4477 new cases, bringing total to 1,325,623
- 09 Jun 2022: 3602 new cases, bringing total to 1,329,225
- 10 Jun 2022: 3431 new cases, bringing total to 1,332,656
- 11 Jun 2022: 2969 new cases, bringing total to 1,335,625
- 12 Jun 2022: 3128 new cases, bringing total to 1,338,753
- 13 Jun 2022: 2503 new cases, bringing total to 1,341,256
- 14 Jun 2022: 2389 new cases, bringing total to 1,343,645
- 15 Jun 2022: 5130 new cases, bringing total to 1,348,775
- 16 Jun 2022: 3906 new cases, bringing total to 1,352,681
- 17 Jun 2022: 3120 new cases, bringing total to 1,355,801
- 18 Jun 2022: 4979 new cases, bringing total to 1,360,780
- 19 Jun 2022: 3782 new cases, bringing total to 1,364,562
- 20 Jun 2022: 3199 new cases, bringing total to 1,367,761
- 21 Jun 2022: 3220 new cases, bringing total to 1,370,981
- 22 Jun 2022: 7109 new cases, bringing total to 1,378,090
- 23 Jun 2022: 5862 new cases, bringing total to 1,383,952
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