Masks optional in most places from Monday as rules ease

Masks will not be required in most indoor settings from next Monday, as Singapore takes a significant step towards living with Covid-19.

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong yesterday said masks will be mandatory only in healthcare facilities, such as hospitals and clinics, and when taking public transport, including boarding areas at bus interchanges and MRT platforms.

It was also announced that non-fully vaccinated travellers can enter Singapore from next Monday without serving stay-home notice, and that safe management measures for visits to hospitals and nursing homes will be eased next month.

These moves come on the back of a falling number of cases, with fewer than 400 Covid-19 patients hospitalised each day, down from more than 800 last month.

It is estimated that around 70 per cent of the population have been infected which, alongside the high vaccination rates, has built resilience into the community, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.

But Mr Wong cautioned that Singaporeans must still be mentally prepared for any sudden change in the situation as the next Covid-19 variant could be more aggressive and dangerous.

Speaking alongside him at a Covid-19 multi-ministry task force press conference yesterday, Mr Ong said that Singapore should prepare itself for a "Northern Hemisphere winter wave" at the end of the year, which the United States, Britain and Europe are bracing themselves for. This could be caused by a new variant of the virus.

Should a big Covid-19 wave hit Singapore, it will involve many people getting reinfected with the virus - given the number who have already caught the virus here, Mr Ong said.

Data shows that the likelihood of reinfection eight months after getting Covid-19 is still very low - 5 per cent that of a person who has not been infected, he said.

But he also highlighted that the proportion of cases that are reinfections has increased from 2 per cent to 3 per cent to about 5.5 per cent now, as immunity gained in the past wanes.

Vaccination remains the primary line of defence, said the task force, which is co-chaired by Mr Wong, Mr Ong and Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong.

Mr Ong said that almost 80 per cent of the population have taken their booster shots, a key reason why Singapore was able to ride through the recent Omicron BA.5 variant wave without tightening safe management Covid-19 measures and having hospitals overwhelmed.

Mr Wong said the task force is studying a new system that will keep vaccinations up to date.

For example, the first booster has to be taken no later than 270 days after the original doses - but there has not been a definition for when the second or even future boosters, if any, have to be taken. This would be determined in the new system.

The Health Ministry yesterday said it has accepted an expert panel's recommendation to give a first booster shot to children aged five to 11. They will be offered the jabs at five dedicated centres in the fourth quarter of the year, when examinations are ending or over.

A decision on whether to give vaccines to children aged six months to five is expected soon, Mr Ong said. If the green light is given, it will be timed together with the booster exercise for children aged five to 11.

The expert panel has also recommended a second booster for people aged 60 and above. They were previously offered the jab only if they wished to take it.

Meanwhile, vaccination-differentiated safe management measures remain in place, with vaccination status checks at large events with more than 500 people. People also have to be fully vaccinated to dine at food and beverage establishments, though businesses no longer have to conduct checks.