VIRUS OUTBREAK: PHASE 2 TIGHTENING
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Should Singapore further tighten border controls on new Covid wave?

Rising local cases prompt some to call for border closure; others say better to strike a balance between restrictions and risks of importing infections

 Sharon See
Published Tue, May 18, 2021 · 09:50 PM

    Singapore

    THERE have been renewed calls for Singapore to completely shut its borders to high-risk countries, as the Republic battles a more infectious wave of Covid-19, but economists say the net costs and benefits may not be that clear-cut.

    On May 16, the number of community cases climbed to 38, the highest in over a year, with 17 among these deemed unlinked. At the same time, the Changi Airport cluster has now become the country's largest community cluster, with 78 cases to date. According to sequencing results, the B1617 variant from India is behind this resurgence.

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