From October 19, fully vaccinated people from eight countries, including the UK, France, Spain and the United States, will be able to enter the island without quarantine if they pass tests for COVID-19, the government said.
The announcement marks an important step in Singapore’s strategy to re-establish international ties.
The country of Southeast Asia, one of the world’s largest travel and finance centers, is home to the Asian headquarters of thousands of global companies, whose leaders have long awaited the opportunity to connect with Singapore.
In a country of 5.45 million people, more than 3,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported daily in the past few days, although nearly all cases have been asymptomatic or mild. About 83% of the population is fully vaccinated, which is one of the highest rates in the world.
Singapore recently reimposed coronavirus restrictions to buy time and prepare for life with the disease. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singapore would come out and be able to ease restrictions when the number of cases stabilizes, even if there are hundreds of cases left.
The government announced measures to help local residents adapt to a strategy for living with the virus, such as allowing most infected people to recover at home. It also made it easier to test and isolate infected people.
The government has also tightened rules for those who remain unvaccinated by barring them from shopping malls and eating at ubiquitous street outlets in the country.
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