Singapore will lift the mandatory outdoor mask regulation from 29th August 2022, related to the control of COVID-19.
As reported by CNA on Wednesday 24th August, the use of masks will only be required in health facilities and on public transportation.
According to the Singaporean Health Ministry, face masks will be optional in most indoor settings. The change comes after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said during his annual National Day General Meeting that the government was relaxing the wearing of face masks to “prevent people from getting tired“.
On Wednesday, the ministry explained in a press release that face masks would still be required in health care facilities, nursing homes, homes for adults with disabilities, and ambulances. This includes hospitals and polyclinics.
The use of a mask will be optional on private bus services such as school buses, company buses and shuttle buses, as well as taxis and private chartered vehicles. For commercial flights and ferries, the use of masks is not required on outgoing commercial flights and ferries from Singapore to designated destinations.
Masks will also not be required on incoming commercial flights and ferries to Singapore from destinations that do not require the use of a mask on board. Passengers will still be required to wear a mask when leaving for destinations that require the use of a mask on board.
During a press conference of the multi-ministerial COVID-19 task force on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who leads the task force, said that masks would become optional at airports.
“The Health Ministry reminds people that even though the rules for wearing masks are relaxed, community members are encouraged to continue to exercise responsibility and caution, such as wearing masks when in crowded places, or when visiting or interacting with vulnerable people to minimise the risk of disease transmission. In particular, experts have advised that the elderly and immunocompromised people should continue to wear masks in crowded indoor environments to reduce the risk of developing respiratory infections,” wrote the Ministry.
The mask-wearing rule was last relaxed on 29th March, with the wearing of masks only mandated indoors, although people are still encouraged to wear them when they leave their homes, especially in crowded areas.