Singapore: Singapore should expect new COVID-19 cases in the country as it plans to reopen its borders in a safe and controlled way, experts were quoted as saying on Wednesday. Singapore has reported 57,639 cases of coronavirus and 27 deaths due to it. On Wednesday, the country reported 12 new cases, including 4 imported ones.
The experts, who have been closely analysing the coronavirus pandemic dynamics across the world, said ultimately, Singapore’s aim has been to live with the virus unlike some countries such as New Zealand, China and Vietnam, which aim for eradication. Singapore continues to expect new cases of coronavirus as it plans to open its borders. People here now have to live with the virus unlike countries such as New Zealand, China and Vietnam who want to eradicate it, Prof Dale Fisher, a senior consultant in the infectious diseases division at the National University Hospital, was quoted as saying to the The Straits Times.
He said the current challenge confronting the Singapore government is of reopening the borders in a safe and controlled way amid a pandemic that is still raging in other parts of the world. Josip Car, an associate professor and director of the Centre for Population Health Sciences at Nanyang Technological University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine said the growing knowledge of how to stop the virus spread would help the country reopen its borders smartly.
The risk from imported cases is not new, and in fact, border controls have always been a cornerstone of Singapore’s defence strategies, he was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health said it was important to be cautious while opening the borders. As more countries experience worsening outbreaks, including India and those in Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, it becomes more important to be prudent and cautious when arranging travel green lanes, to protect the fragile local situation that has been brought under control after much effort, he said.
For instance, France reported more than 10,000 new cases on Sunday, while Britain reported almost 4,000 cases that same day. Teo suggested that priority for travel arrangements should be given to countries with a stable local situation and which have similarly put in place strict public health measures.
The biggest benefit, when it comes to aviation and travel, will be through the resumption of mass market tourism, but it comes at a price: It poses the greatest risk to the country, he said. “Governments worldwide will really need to decide whether regaining the economic activity from tourism justifies the risk to the rest of the local economy,” Teo added.
The experts also underlined that it is crucial that visitors entering the country continue to obey the rules on mask wearing and safe distancing, and not having gatherings of more than five in a group. Asked about the speed at which Singapore is reopening its borders, Prof Fisher suggested that the country could afford to quicken its pace.
“I am sure there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work between governments, health insurers and those in the travel industry to make it happen. Any country that has few cases, does contact tracing quickly and has few unlinked cases should be ‘approved’.” .
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