Singapore's roadmap to reopening will be unveiled 'in due course', says task force
SINGAPORE'S pandemic-related restrictions will be eased in line with two key target vaccination rates, Covid-19 multi-ministry task force members told the press on Friday.
The Republic is prepared to wind down domestic and border controls when the share of the population that is fully vaccinated hits 50 per cent, and then 75 per cent, said Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who is one of the three task force co-chairs.
His remarks came as the task force unveiled a transitional approach to the Phase 3 (Heightened Alert) that began on June 14. Measures such as limits on dining in will be progressively relaxed from June 21, though some restrictions will last until mid-July.
Mr Wong noted that any further easing, which he described as "a broader set of reopening plans", is still "something that's being worked out".
"But the assurance is, as we get our vaccination rates higher, we will be able to confidently reopen - not just within Singapore but also at our borders - and do so safely. So those broader plans will be announced in due course when we are ready," he added.
Task force co-chair Gan Kim Yong, who is Minister for Trade and Industry, also called a higher vaccination rate "our imperative, going forward", especially as certain sectors such as fitness and food and beverage (F&B) services remain under tight restrictions.
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"There are many other businesses during this period, they are able to operate. All the manufacturing plants, the offices, construction firms, life continues for them. Their livelihoods are not that affected," he observed.
But, since affected industries "continue to feel as if this is a lockdown", he added: "As we have mentioned, I think the answer lies in partly our testing tracing and isolation capability, but very importantly, it's our ability to raise the vaccination rate."
Mr Gan also highlighted plans to re-allow international travel: "As we ramp up our vaccination, we will have to carefully consider how we can allow this travel to resume, because this is very critical to the businesses . . . based here in Singapore."
Still, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung warned that Singapore's reopening threshold cannot be the same as in other countries where the novel coronavirus ran rampant.
Earlier waves of Covid-19 infections in the United States and Europe mean that the effective antibody rate is higher than the vaccination rate in those places, he noted.
"I don't think we can exactly peg our roadmap to theirs, because of this factor," added Mr Ong, the third task force co-chair.
Instead, Singapore will plan its roadmap around the two vaccination-rate milestones of 50 per cent and 75 per cent protection, as well as clinical outcomes such as the number of Covid-19 patients who need oxygen support or intensive care, he said.
"I think this is the important piece of work that's going forward; and when we are ready, we will announce those plans and those roadmaps," Mr Ong said.
Slightly over 35 per cent of Singapore's population are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, while 49 per cent have received at least one dose of the two-shot vaccines now in use.
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