Istana grounds to be open on May 13 for first time since pandemic
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Although the main building of the Istana will not be open to the public during the Combined Istana Open House on May 13, visitors can explore the new Inclusive Garden, which features paved paths that are at least 1.5m wide, making them wheelchair-accessible and senior-friendly.
ST FILE PHOTO
The Istana grounds will be open to the public on May 13 for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic hit Singapore last year.
The occasion is a Combined Istana Open House to mark both Labour Day and Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which fall on May 1 and May 13 respectively.
The open house comes amid a further easing of Covid-19 measures in the community. Visitors will have to pre-book time slots.
To avoid gatherings of large groups, there will be no performances, tours, booths or food trucks, unlike in previous years.
The main building of the Istana will also not be open to the public.
However, visitors can explore the new Inclusive Garden, which was launched by President Halimah Yacob in February.
The garden features paved paths that are at least 1.5m wide, making them wheelchair-accessible and senior-friendly.
The 815 sq m garden houses more than 100 plant species, such as butterfly ginger, roselle and lemongrass.
Every year, the Istana welcomes visitors on both Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Labour Day, which are public holidays.
Due to the pandemic, the open house was cancelled on both occasions last year, with President Halimah hosting a virtual tour of the Istana for Hari Raya Aidilfitri instead.
More than 120 beneficiaries from social service agencies New Life Stories, Ain Society, Jamiyah Halfway House, Muhammadiyah Welfare Home and Pertapis Halfway House and their families took part in the virtual tour.
It featured 360-degree views of the reception hall, state room and banquet hall in the Istana's main building.
The last large-scale open house was held on Jan 26 last year when more than 12,000 guests visited the President's official residence on the second day of Chinese New Year.
Next month's event will be held on a smaller scale, with safe management measures in place, including temperature checks and TraceTogether or SafeEntry check-ins.
Visitors must wear masks at all times and keep to groups of no more than eight. There will be safe distancing ambassadors on site.
Visitors can register for one of four time slots - 9am to 11am, 11am to 1pm, 1pm to 3pm, and 3pm to 5pm. Limited tickets are available for free on a first come, first served basis.
Each applicant can register for a maximum of eight tickets, using a valid e-mail address. Successful applicants will receive a confirmation e-mail.
Tickets can be reserved at https://cutt.ly/IstanaOpenHouse from 10am today.
