No more mandatory mask-wearing indoors & in schools, except public transport & healthcare settings

Singapore will be relaxing Covid-19 restrictions further by doing away with mandatory mask-wearing in public and schools.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced during his National Day Rally speech today (Aug 21) that mask requirements will be relaxed further to prevent fatigue from setting in.

Mask-wearing will only be mandatory on public transport, where commuters are in prolonged close contact in crowded spaces, and in healthcare settings like clinics, hospitals, and residential and nursing homes, where there are vulnerable persons.

More details on when these measures will kick in will be announced by the Multi-Ministry Taskforce, said PM Lee.

Trust in Govt

Key to our success has been the high level of trust in our society, said PM Lee.

He cited examples in some countries that something as simple and essential as mask wearing became a heated point of contention.

“But in Singapore, people worked with and not against one another. You trusted your Government. You patiently endured rounds of easing and tightening despite the inconvenience,” he said.

The Government, in turn, upheld the trust by being open, providing the full facts even when things did not look good.

“Above all, there was trust amongst Singaporeans that we would each do the right thing and have each other’s back.”

Top image credit: Victor He on Unsplash