Singapore’s return to tighter Covid rules cannot be ruled out, deputy PM Wong says
- As the city state faces a resurgence in cases, deputy prime minister Lawrence Wong says ‘we will have to be prepared for any contingencies’
- The financial hub has loosened many pandemic-related rules, including scrapping testing for vaccinated travellers, but wearing of masks indoors remains
Wong’s comments, made to local reporters at a tour of a vaccination centre on Monday, comes on the back of warnings from ministers that the city state will see another rise in infections, with calls for the elderly to take their booster shots.
Separately, local broadcaster CNA quoted Wong saying that adjustments to measures will be made “if need be” and the government will be monitoring factors including the hospital situation and severity of the disease closely.
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The financial hub has loosened many pandemic-related rules, including scrapping testing for vaccinated travellers and gathering limits, though some exceptions remain, such as mandatory wearing of masks indoors.
Even as sectors including aviation and hospitality begin to recover, average daily infections over a seven-day period in the Southeast Asian nation have jumped to more than 5,500 from about 3,500 at the start of June.
“It’s always a highly fluid and dynamic situation and we will have to be prepared for any contingencies,” said Wong, who also co-chairs the country’s virus task force, according to CNA.
Get boosted! says Singapore as infections rise – but no cause for alarm
About 92 per cent of the total population in Singapore are double-vaccinated, while more than three in four have had a Covid booster. Hospitalisations have remained largely stable, though the number of virus-infected patients has risen above 300 over the past week, according to health ministry data.
The government will give all households 10 rapid testing kits next month, according to local media reports.
