Coronavirus: Singapore to lift indoor mask mandate in most public spaces, scrap quarantine for non-vaccinated travellers
- Indoor mask wearing will be optional in Singapore from Monday, except in healthcare settings and on public transport
- The quarantine requirement for non-vaccinated travellers will also be dropped, as the city state is putting plans in place for a new wave of infections
Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-heads a government virus task force, said on Wednesday that indoor mask-wearing would be optional for most spaces, except for in healthcare settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes, and on public transport.
Mask-wearing on private transport, including school buses and taxis, would be optional, he said. Currently, residents are only allowed to remove their masks outdoors.
The move will make Singapore one of the first countries in Asia to ease indoor mask-wearing.
Even so, Wong, who is also finance minister, urged the elderly and those who are immunocompromised to continue wearing masks in crowded indoor settings to reduce their risk of catching the virus.
Also speaking to reporters at the first in-person press conference in more than two years, health minister Ong Ye Kung mapped out Singapore’s plans to deal with future Covid-19 waves, pointing to how countries were expecting a surge in cases towards the end of the year. This included ramping up hospital capacity and improving vaccination coverage.
While about 70 per cent of Singapore’s population has caught Covid-19, Ong noted that the immunity gained from a past infection would wane over time.