Singapore drops pre-departure requirements for travelers, further eases mask rules


People gather outside the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on January 17, 2023. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP) (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Roslan Rahman | Afp | Getty Images

SINGAPORE — Singapore is set to allow non-fully vaccinated travelers to enter the country without a negative pre-departure test from next week, health authorities announced Thursday.

The country is set to remove mask-wearing on public transport from Monday, as it seeks to exit the “acute phase” of the pandemic, said the Ministry of Health.

The country’s Covid task force, created in January 2020, will be deactivated.

“Our Covid situation has remained stable over the recent months, despite increased travel over the year and holidays and China’s shift from zero Covid,” said Singapore’s deputy prime minister Lawrence Wong, who is also co-chair of the Covid task force.

“Our population has developed a high level of hybrid immunity. The risk of infections leading to severe illness or deaths is very low — comparable to other endemic respiratory diseases like influenza.”

The further relaxation of pre-departure travel and mask requirements are “significant steps” that mark Covid-19 as an endemic and “new norm” for Singapore.

Changes to travel

Mask-wearing rules ease

Back to pre-pandemic levels

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