On September 7, 2021, people walked along the pedestrian crossing in Singapore's Orchard Road shopping area. Roslan Rahman | AFP | Getty Images
SINGAPORE Singapore announced Saturday that it will open new travel lanes to vaccinated travelers from eight additional countries. The announcement came at a time when Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister, predicted that it would take three to six months for Covid to become a "new norm" in living. According to the transport ministry, more VTLs (vaccinated travel lanes) will be opened in the Southeast Asian country with Canada, Denmark France, Italy, Spain, Spain, Canada and the U.S. Travelers from Singapore can already travel to all 8 countries. The VTLs will allow for two-way travel without quarantine between Singapore and the VTLs," S Iswaran, Transport Minister, said Saturday.
Covid-19 should be respected, but fear must not paralyze us. Lee Hsien Loong Singapore prime Minister
Quarantine-free travel is possible for people who have been vaccinated. However, travelers will need to undergo Covid-19 testing to confirm they aren't infected before they can enter the country. The minister announced that applications will open Tuesday and that travelers from these countries will be allowed to enter Singapore starting Oct. 19. The initiative was announced by Singapore and South Korea on Friday. Similar arrangements were already made with Brunei and Germany in September by the city-state.
Living with Covid
On Saturday, Singapore's leader Lee gave a national address outlining when the "new norm" might occur. How will we know when the new normal is here? Lee stated that it will happen when there are no restrictions and the safety management measures are minimal. Cases remain stable, perhaps hundreds per day, but not increasing. When our hospitals can return to business as usual, when it is possible to resume doing the same things that we used to, and to see people again without feeling weird or worried, then we will be able to go back to what we do.
He advised the nation to not be "paralyzed" by fear and stated that all of us will soon encounter the virus. This means that even the elderly will also get the virus. He stated that Europe, like other regions, reached this state but had "paid dearly" for it with many deaths.
Lee said, "It will take at least three months and possibly as long as six months for us to reach this new norm."
For the unvaccinated, tightening measures
Some Covid restrictions will be tightened in Singapore for those who are not vaccinated. In a briefing on Saturday, Gan Kim Yong, Singapore's trade Minister and co-chairman of the government's Coronavirus Taskforce, stated that those who have not been vaccinated will be denied entry to malls. He said that even those who have been vaccinated, there will be a maximum of two people allowed to enter malls. Unvaccinated people will not be permitted to dine in at open-air cafes and restaurants, which was previously permitted. The latest measures, according to Singapore's ministry for health, are intended to protect vulnerable groups such as the elderly and unvaccinated. These restrictions will take effect on Wednesday.
Singapore's Covid strategy
For the majority of the pandemic, Singapore maintained a zero-Covid strategy. However, it began to open up once the vaccination rate surpassed 80%. On Oct. 7, 83% had received two doses of Covid vaccine. After loosening restrictions, however, the number started to spike, touching daily records and hovering at over 3,400 in the past few days.
