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Fully unvaccinated travelers do not need to quarantine from Monday

Fully unvaccinated travelers do not need to quarantine from Monday

People sit outside a bar in Emily Hill in Singapore, on Monday, August 22, 2022.

Huying ore | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Authorities announced, on Wednesday, that Singapore will allow fully unvaccinated travelers to bypass quarantine on arrival starting Monday.

The country is also set to remove indoor mask requirements from August 29, as it seeks to take another step toward living with Covid.

While further easing of safety and border procedures is an “important milestone,” the country must remain “mentally prepared for any sudden change because we don’t know how this virus will turn out and what it will look like next,” he said. Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is also the co-chair of the Singapore COVID Task Force.

Visitors who are not fully vaccinated will still be required to test negative for Covid within two days before leaving for Singapore. But they will no longer need to self-quarantine for 7 days at home or in their place of residence.

Currently, fully vaccinated travelers can enter Singapore without taking Covid-19 tests or undergoing quarantine.

Unvaccinated long-term and short-term visitors aged 13 or over are currently required to apply for approval to enter Singapore. This requirement will also be rescinded from Monday, according to the Ministry of Health.

Reduce mask requirements

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Currently, masks are required in almost all indoor settings, with the exception of workplaces where there is no physical interaction or customer-facing areas.

“For businesses and employers, they have the discretion to decide whether or not they wish to do so [from] A workplace safety perspective… We are lifting a mandatory requirement to wear masks but it is optional,” Wong said.

reinforcement

In preparation for the next wave of omicron, the Department of Health said a second booster dose of mRNA Covid is now recommended for those aged 60 and over.

Previously, second boosters were only recommended for those 80 years of age or older.

About 93% of the population had completed the initial vaccination series as of Monday, while 79% of the total population had received the booster.

Singapore’s Health Minister Aung Yi Kung said the high rate of reinforcement is a “key reason” that the nation was able to weather the current Covid wave.

Ong stressed the need to expand recommendations for second boosters for those aged 60 to 79 — five months after the first booster dose — even though the first booster provided strong protection against severe disease for those in this age group.

The Ministry of Health also recommended that children aged 5 to 11 years receive a single booster dose – five months after the second dose of the initial vaccination series – to boost their protection.

The Covid situation in Singapore

People wearing face masks as a precaution against the spread of Covid-19 in Singapore.

maverick asia | SOPA photos | Light Rocket | Getty Images

In April, separate rules for unvaccinated people were also scrapped, with some exceptions.

Those who have not been vaccinated will not be allowed to eat or participate in events of more than 500 people. Nor can they visit the nightlife establishments where dancing includes.

However, there will be no need for food and beverage outlets to check vaccination statuses for customers, the Ministry of Health said in a press release.

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