Singapore to relax more COVID curbs including for overseas arrivals

Singapore is easing more COVID-19 curbs including lifting most restrictions for fully vaccinated visitors arriving in the country and dropping requirements to wear masks outdoors, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a speech on Thursday. Most cases have mild or no symptoms, with about 92% of its 5.5 million population having been fully vaccinated.

Singapore is easing more COVID-19 curbs including lifting most restrictions for fully vaccinated visitors arriving in the country and dropping requirements to wear masks outdoors, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a speech on Thursday. Singapore was one of the first countries to shift to a strategy of living with COVID-19, but had to slow some of its easing plans due to subsequent outbreaks.

The Southeast Asian country's Omicron wave has started to subside. At its peak, Singapore reported a record of nearly 26,000 cases in February, but the daily number of infections fell to about 9,000 on Wednesday. Most cases have mild or no symptoms, with about 92% of its 5.5 million population having been fully vaccinated. Another 71% have received a booster jab.