Singapore lets down mask mandate

It was the first evening of a new, relatively relaxed Covid regime in Singapore for many. Masks ceased to be compulsory outdoors and social gatherings could number 10 people. Singing was no longer outlawed. This was a moment worth toasting, cautiously.
While the changes stop short of a revolution — the city-state isn’t known for spontaneous lurches — they are nevertheless significant. Singapore mandated face coverings outdoors longer than many places, and made transgressions punishable. For a long time, officials kept group sizes to five, even in homes.
While quarantine-free travel for vaccinated people has been allowed since late last year, the process is still full of bureaucracy. The experience wasn’t free of controversy, either: In the early days of Omicron, officials tried to separate children from parents and some poor folk who tested positive after arrival were shoved into confinement with complete strangers.
Singapore now wants to move on. The government says infections are receding after a surge at the start of the year. Almost every eligible adult is vaccinated. Many people have had at least a mild form of Covid recently, including myself, and the world hasn’t ended. (Authorities say you can leave home isolation after just three days, provided you no longer test positive.) The disease has lost its stigma. “Earlier, we were cautious because of uncertainty over omicron’s impact,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in an address, almost two years since announcing the first of a series of lockdowns. “We are now ready to take a decisive step forward towards living with Covid-19.”
The pandemic increasingly feels like yesterday’s story, even as Singapore emphasizes eternal vigilance. The commercial and reputational costs of strict curbs were beginning to exceed the marginal benefits to public health of maintaining them. The economic rebound is in its second year, though the numbers are less eye-popping than in 2021: The government expects gross domestic product will increase 3% to 5% this year, down from 7.6% in 2021. The tourism and lodging industry, once vibrant, has been limping along.
The city-state’s treasured role as an aviation hub was in jeopardy as other advanced economies accelerated reopening. Employers have complained about labor shortages. The central bank is prioritising the fight against price increases. Monetary policy was tightened in January and economists expect further strikes against inflation.
Everyday life also seems to be evolving. Checking in with the government’s contact-tracing app is still mandatory, though the staff monitoring adherence look thoroughly bored. On recent weekends, I’ve seen attendants at a popular mall napping, slumped over their desk and unaware of the foot traffic around them. Fewer people covered their faces during pre-dawn walks in the park next to my home as the months wore on.

—Bloomberg