Near virus-free environment vital if 'air travel bubble' is to work

IT came as no surprise, but Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung's remarks in Parliament last week - that there can be no overseas holidays this December - was a body blow to those who were still hoping this dreadful year might end on an upswing.

His caution is a sober reminder of how persistent and long-lasting the Covid-19 pandemic has become, despite Singapore having largely reined in the virus threat, with daily infections dipping to the low teens or single digits from a peak of a thousand a day. If only this trajectory is mirrored elsewhere.

Despite the sacrifices in personal liberty and livelihood, particularly during the circuit-breaker period, Singapore has succeeded in creating a safe bubble at home, as the pandemic runs amok in much of the Western world. Singapore has managed to stave off a health crisis, but is still mired in an economic one, which cannot pass until the borders are reopened fully.