SINGAPORE, March 24, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Singapore will lift restrictions for
all vaccinated travellers from next week, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
on Thursday hailing it as a "major milestone" in the aviation hub's efforts
to live with Covid-19.

  The city-state is the latest Asian country to ease travel restrictions in a
region that has generally been more reluctant to lift barriers than Europe
and North America.

  A gateway for many travellers arriving in the Asia-Pacific, Singapore had
already started quarantine-free travel schemes with some countries in recent
months.

  From April 1, fully vaccinated adults and unvaccinated children will be
allowed to enter the country without quarantining, as long as they take a
pre-departure test, officials said.

  Lee said Singapore had reached a "major milestone" in its efforts to live
with the virus.

  Easing travel curbs will "reconnect Singapore with the world," he said in a
televised address.

  "It will give a much-needed boost to businesses, particularly the tourism
sector, and it will help Singapore reclaim its position as a business and
aviation hub."

  Only travellers on a "restricted list" will face curbs in entering
Singapore, although there are currently no countries on the list.

  A raft of other coronavirus measures were also eased, with people in
Singapore no longer required to wear masks outside, and limits on group sizes
raised to 10, up from five previously.

  At the start of the pandemic, the country of 5.5 million kept Covid-19
cases low through border closures and a tough lockdown.

  It has faced sizeable outbreaks since last year and, with some of the
world's highest vaccination rates, authorities have shifted to a policy of
living with the virus.

  The pandemic plunged Singapore into its worst-ever recession in 2020 as the
trading hub closed its borders.

  International visitor arrivals dropped to just 2.7 million that year from
more than 19 million in 2019.

  Singapore's approach stands in contrast to rival financial hub Hong Kong,
where arrivals are still required to undergo lengthy quarantines in hotels.

  Following Singapore's announcement, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam was forced
to defend her administration's approach, insisting the Chinese city remained
an "attractive" financial centre.

  "The policies and measures to be adopted by each government in combating
Covid differ," she said.

  Like mainland China, Hong Kong has stuck to a zero-Covid policy, but the
approach has led to an exodus of foreign and local residents, and failed to
stop a fierce Omicron outbreak in recent months.

  Other countries in the Asia-Pacific that have recently announced an easing
of travel restrictions include Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and
Malaysia.