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No new curbs in Singapore XBB wave, but they cannot be ruled out: minister
He noted the infection wave driven by the XBB sub-variant is clearly waning, and that Singapore had managed to deal with the wave with practically no restrictions, with indoor masking requirements and vaccination-differentiated safe management measures having been lifted.
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People walk and jog along the promenade at Marina Bay in Singapore on September 20, 2022. (AFP/Roslan Rahman )
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ingapore has ridden the recent COVID-19 wave without having to reimpose safe management measures, but curbs such as indoor masking requirements cannot be ruled out in the event of a nasty new variant, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Monday.
He noted the infection wave driven by the XBB sub-variant is clearly waning, and that Singapore had managed to deal with the wave with practically no restrictions, with indoor masking requirements and vaccination-differentiated safe management measures having been lifted.
While the COVID-19 task force had been “very ready” to reimpose such measures should the situation worsen, these plans were stood down as infection numbers peaked and declined much earlier than expected.
“We’re no longer thinking about it until the next wave comes… I think it’s important to always be very open to the public (about) what we are thinking of, what we might have to do, but only when absolutely necessary,” said Ong.
With virtually all safe management measures lifted, Singapore is now practically back to pre-pandemic normality, with many travelling and the country again hosting numerous international conferences and events, he noted.
This, however, makes the country vulnerable, as it could be one of the first places to encounter a new and dangerous variant, said Ong, who is co-chair of the multi-ministry task force tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We need to be prepared, in case there’s a nasty infection wave. We need to have our contingency plans in place,” he added.
