Singapore's move to streamline Covid-19 rules signals confidence in living with virus: observers

Sharon See

Published Wed, Feb 16, 2022 · 01:34 PM

SINGAPORE'S move to streamline pandemic measures is an important road marker in its quest to live with Covid-19 as an endemic disease, and sets the stage for further relaxation eventually, observers told The Business Times.

On Wednesday (Feb 16), the Republic's Covid-19 multi-ministry taskforce said it will be scrapping safe-distancing rules in mask-on settings, as part of a wider "reset" of restrictions that the authorities say have become "unwieldy" over time.

"We are in a new phase of dealing with the pandemic, and at the same time, the rules have become complex, unwieldy and it's becoming harder for people to remember or to follow the rules," Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the taskforce, said during a briefing.

Safe-management measures (SMM), accumulated over the past 2 years, will now be distilled into 5 key parameters from Feb 25: group sizes, mask-wearing, workplace requirements, safe distancing and capacity limits, according to a statement by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Besides the ease of remembering, Wong said that having these key parameters will enable the authorities to adjust SMMs more nimbly and responsively.

"If we were to ease in the coming weeks, we can ease along these 5 parameters and if ever there is a need to tighten because of the threat of a new deadly variant, we will also be able to tighten along these 5 parameters," said Wong.

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Rostered routine testing, introduced in August 2020, will be mandatory for fewer sectors from Feb 18. Individuals who have tested positive on at-home antigen rapid tests (ART) will have access to government-funded rapid tests at combined test centres and quick test centres, with their confirmatory results to be recorded in the national HealthHub system.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, also a co-chair, said employees can show employer these test results to be excused from work. Employers here typically require medical certificates for outpatient sick leave absences.

Border measures will also be simplified from 11.59pm on Feb 21, with easier re-entry for long-term pass holders, while travellers using Vaccinated Travel Lanes or from Category 1 countries will no longer need an on-arrival polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, among other measures.

Commenting on the slew of announcements, Hsien-Hsien Lei, chief executive of The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, said: "It signals that the Singapore government is confident in being able to manage Covid-19 while at the same time, drive Singapore's economy forward. It's just incredibly encouraging."

She added that the announcements would "bolster Singapore's reputation and ability to really be that international business hub - not just in name but in action".

Noting that governments around the world have in recent days taken steps to ease restrictions, CIMB Private Banking economist Song Seng Wun said that Singapore too is moving on to live with Covid-19.

"As a city state that depends so much on global trade in goods and services, the calibrated easing will help Singapore be more attractive to businesses," said Song, adding that Singapore would not want to be left behind as a global trade hub.

With the measures setting the stage for a broader relaxation in the coming months, Maybank senior economist Chua Hak Bin said this allows businesses and visitors to prepare and plan ahead for events and meetings in Singapore.

At the same time, Singapore businesses have been keen to seize new growth opportunities amid the global economic recovery, and the latest measures would help facilitate business travel and growth, said Lam Yi Young, chief executive of the Singapore Business Federation.

Still, the taskforce stressed that the announcements do not represent a relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions just yet.

"What I've just described is streamlining and rationalisation. It is not the time for easing because we are still seeing an increase in our infection - in fact we are seeing very high infection numbers now," said Wong.

The announcements come just a day after Singapore saw a record 19,420 new Covid-19 cases, more than double from the day before.

"But we are quietly confident in facing this Omicron wave because everyone in Singapore is well protected with vaccinations and boosters," said Wong.

Dr Lei, who is also an epidemiologist, said the situation today is no longer the same as 2 years ago, when little was known about the disease and there was insufficient healthcare capacity.

Victor Mills, chief executive of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce, said Wednesday's announcements are only possible because of Singapore's high vaccination rate and the less serious nature of the Omicron variant.

He said: "They are also important morale boosters and demonstrate, yet again, the carefully calibrated, science-based approach that has characterised Singapore's management of the pandemic. They are all the more welcome and impressive at a time of rising Omicron cases."

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