Singaporeans would not have been caught unaware by the warning that the country should be ready to reinstate some safe management measures, such as masking, should it face a fresh wave of Covid-19 infections driven by a nasty variant. One of the most insistent features of the coronavirus pandemic has been its elusiveness. The appearance of new strains has tested public health protocols that countries put in place to contain its passage, mostly at great cost to their economies and societies. As the World Health Organisation (WHO) noted, all viruses change over time. Most changes have little to no impact on the properties of the virus. However, the WHO adds, some changes may affect those properties, such as how easily the virus spreads or the associated severity of disease, or the performance of vaccines, therapeutic medicine, diagnostic tools, or other public health and social measures.

Singapore’s experience of having dealt with the Delta and Omicron variants, and numerous Omicron sub-variants, gives it the confidence to meet the new strain, XBB, which is responsible for driving the most recent wave of Covid-19 infections here. In this case, what is good news also has a potentially negative side effect. Singapore’s ability to contain the pandemic through safe management measures has returned the country almost to pre-pandemic normality, which is a relief. People are travelling again, and the country is hosting many international conferences and events. It is precisely for this reason, however, that Singapore is vulnerable because it could be one of the first places to encounter a new and dangerous variant. Pre-emptive strategies are thus required to meet any renewed threat from the coronavirus even as Singaporeans settle back into their old routines – which they have learnt to do through their generally strict adherence to the exacting epidemiological protocols over the past two years and more.