Singapore to relax Covid restrictions, reopen borders and lift outdoor mask requirement.

• The Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, announced on Thursday that limits on social gatherings will be doubled from five to ten people, outdoor mask mandates will be dropped, more employees can return to offices, and capacity limits for large events will be increased.
• Unlike many other countries, Singapore has maintained a consistent and strict approach to measures such as mask mandates and traceability throughout the pandemic.
• Starting April 1, all fully vaccinated travelers and non-fully vaccinated children aged 12 and below can enter Singapore without needing to apply for entry approvals, as travel restrictions and measures have been lifted.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that Singapore will ease most of its Covid restrictions, including outdoor mask mandates, starting March 29.

The national address by Lee announced that social gathering limits will be doubled from five to ten people, more employees can return to offices, and capacity limits for large events will be increased.

Masks will still be necessary indoors, and a distance of 1 meter between groups in mask-free areas will still be required.

Unlike many other countries, Singapore has maintained a consistent and strict approach to measures such as mask mandates and traceability throughout the pandemic.

Singapore will drastically streamline testing and quarantine requirements, making travel abroad almost like before Covid-19, as Lee announced.

Lee advised against recklessly resuming normal lives, gathering with large groups, removing masks outdoors, or reuniting with loved ones abroad.

He called on people to comply with the relaxed rules and test regularly.

Border measures

Starting April 1, all fully vaccinated travelers and non-fully vaccinated children aged 12 and below can enter Singapore without needing to apply for entry approvals, as travel restrictions and measures have been lifted.

At a press briefing, Transport Minister S. Iswaran stated that they will not be tested upon arrival in Singapore.

On Thursday, travel-related stocks surged, with a 4.25% increase in airline stocks and a 5.04% rise in ground-handling and in-flight catering services firms.

To avoid quarantines, fully vaccinated travelers must enter Singapore on designated flights and take an on-arrival antigen rapid test under current arrangements.

People entering via land borders will no longer need to take pre-departure tests, but those entering via air and sea routes will still need to do so.

With immediate effect, returning Singapore residents no longer need to pay for Covid-related medical bills if they test positive within 14 days of their arrival.

The number of new daily cases in Singapore has decreased from a record high of 26,032 infections on Feb. 22 to 8,940 on Wednesday, indicating that the peak of the omicron wave may have passed.

Over the past 28 days, only a small percentage of those infected in Singapore required oxygen supplementation or were in the intensive care unit, with the majority experiencing mild or no symptoms.

As of Tuesday, 71% of the population has received boosters, while 92% has completed the primary vaccination series.

People aged 80 and above, nursing home residents, and medically vulnerable individuals are now eligible for a second booster dose, which should be taken five months after the first booster dose, as announced by authorities.