Singapore: Singapore is set to remove mandatory mask-wearing requirement on public transport from Monday, 13 February 2023 – currently the most apparent of the Covid-19 curbs – as the country seeks to exit the “acute phase” of the pandemic, said the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH). However, masks will still be mandatory in healthcare settings for visitors, staff and patients in settings where there is interaction with patients as well as in indoor patient-facing areas.
“Within Singapore our COVID situation has remained stable over the recent months, despite increased travel over the year-end holidays and China’s shift from zero COVID,” said Mr Lawrence Wong, deputy Prime Minister and co-chair of the Multi-ministerial COVID virus taskforce. The task force which was formed in January 2020 to coordinate the government efforts to fight COVID-19 will stand down, added Mr Wong.
The public can also uninstall COVID-19 contact-tracing apps, and the government has deleted all identifiable data gathered from the apps from its servers and database, Health Minister Mr Ong Ye Kung said.
Singapore will also allow non-fully vaccinated travelers to enter the country without a negative pre-departure test from next week, health authorities have announced, and travelers will no longer be required to purchase coronavirus travel insurance from Feb 13, 2023.
These further relaxations of pre-departure test requirements and mask- wearing mandates are significant steps which mark Covid-19 as an endemic for the city-state.
