COVID-19: No mask requirement on Singapore public transport from 13 Feb
From next Monday, people in Singapore will no longer need to wear masks on MRT, LRT and public buses, as well as in healthcare facilities
SINGAPORE — From next Monday (13 February), commuters in Singapore will no longer need to wear masks on public transportation modes, including the MRT, LRT and public buses, announced Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday (9 February).
This comes as a result of the improving COVID-19 situation in the country, with the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) level also lowered from yellow to green next week.
In addition, the Multi-ministerial task force (MTF) tackling the pandemic will stand down, said DPM Wong.
The task force was formed in January 2020 to coordinate government efforts to fight COVID-19.
After the transition to DORSCON Green, the MTF will be dissolved, and the Ministry of Health will assume responsibility for COVID-19 management.
Wong added that if the situation worsened significantly, MOH will reactivate a multi-agency crisis management structure.
The Ministry will keep a close watch on the evolving COVID-19 situation. Continual surveillance of locally acquired and imported cases and international partnerships will help detect new variants with greater transmissibility or severity early.
Mask-wearing in healthcare
Masks will also not be mandatory in healthcare, except in certain situations where patients, visitors and healthcare workers have face-to-face interaction, such as in consultation rooms.
The stepping-down of the DORSCON level to green is due to the improving local COVID-19 situation, where the number of daily cases is falling and stabilising, added Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, who is the co-chair member of MTF.
Calling the availability of effective vaccines “a turning point of the pandemic,” Ong credited Singapore’s “high vaccination coverage” as one of the key reasons “we could progressively restore normal lives while maintaining one of the lowest mortality rates in the world and arriving at today's DORSCON green”.
He added that around 83 per cent of Singapore’s population had achieved minimum protection, and around half is up to date with their vaccination with additional boosters.
"Many have safely recovered from infection. So in Singapore, we have a very strong hybrid immunity," explained Ong.
In addition, the country's border measures, as well as its use of the TraceTogether and SafeEntry measures, would also cease.
Measures for migrant workers in dorms
For migrant workers living in dormitories, the Ministry of Manpower will also be aligning the COVID-19 measures from 1 March 2023.
Workers with mild Acute Respiratory Infection symptoms can choose to recover in their dormitories or see a doctor if they wish. COVID-19 tests will only be administered for symptomatic vulnerable workers, or those with severe symptoms.
Those who test positive may recover in their dormitories, though those with severe more severe symptoms will be conveyed to the emergency departments of public healthcare institutions.
In addition, the Popular Places Pass measure, which was put in place in 2022, will be discontinued with the move to DORSCON Green.
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