Singapore to step down remaining COVID-19 measures

Singapore will step down its remaining few COVID-19 measures and establish an endemic COVID-19 new norm from February 13 as the country's pandemic situation has remained stable in recent months, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced in a press release on Thursday.

The ministry said that Singapore will adjust the current Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) level from the second lowest level Yellow to the lowest level Green from February 13.

The country will also step down a group of community measures related to mask-wearing, health advisery, and public health measures for migrant workers living in dormitories.

One of the adjustments is that mask-wearing on public transport and indoor health care and residential care settings will no longer be required under the temporary COVID-19 regulations.

Meanwhile, Singapore will stand down the remaining COVID-19 border measures, in view of the stable and improving global COVID-19 situation, and the low impact of imported cases on Singapore's health care capacity.

Besides, as COVID-19 is being treated as an endemic disease, the city-state will further scale back pandemic subsidies and re-align the provision of financing support for COVID-19 testing and treatment to that of other acute illnesses from April 1.

"MOH will continue to keep a close watch on the evolving COVID-19 situation and our health care capacity," the ministry added. "If there are signs that our health care capacity is becoming strained or a new and more dangerous variant has emerged, we may have to revise the DORSCON level, and reactivate some of our community and border measures again at short notice."