A roadmap to resilience - and feeding the starved travel bug

THE roadmap towards a "Covid-resilient" Singapore, sketched out in Parliament on Monday, provided reassurance tempered with caution: from a reiteration of the new focus on health outcomes rather than daily case numbers, to warnings that future variants might necessitate booster shots and even tightened measures.

Many may have zeroed in, however, on one specific point mentioned by Finance Minister Lawrence Wong: the prospect of freer travel for vaccinated persons in the not-too-distant future.

By early September, Singapore hopes to have vaccinated about four-fifths of its population, allowing it to ease domestic restrictions further, he said. The country will also begin to reopen its borders, starting with travel corridors with countries or regions that have managed Covid-19 well and have infections under control. Fully vaccinated persons will thus be able to travel without having to serve a full 14-day stay home notice (SHN) upon returning. Instead, depending on the risk level of the country they have visited, they may face a rigorous testing regime or serve a seven-day SHN at home, rather than in a hotel. As Mr Wong noted, this means vaccinated persons will be able to travel more freely.