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SINGAPORE – More travelers will be allowed to enter or transit Singapore as part of efforts to reconnect with the world and preserve the Republic’s status as an air hub.
But the reopening of the borders will be done in a controlled manner so as not to overwhelm Singapore’s health system and contact tracing capabilities, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said on Monday (December 14).
“With improved testing and tracking capabilities, we will be able to test more surgical ways to manage risk for travelers,” he added.
“For logistics, we will maintain our air, land and sea links with the world to play our role as a critical node in the supply chain for global logistics to flow.”
Chan noted that Singapore has not imposed any restrictions on exports that would have benefited itself but affected the global supply chain amid the terrible pandemic.
This has shown the world that the Republic will keep its word even in a crisis and will do everything possible to keep the global supply chain moving, he added.
This reconstruction of the Singapore air hub is one of four key strategies the government is adopting in its attempt to address the economic challenges brought on by Covid-19, Chan said.
He was speaking during a virtual press conference of the Covid-19 multi-ministerial working group on Singapore’s plans as it moves towards the third phase of relaxed circuit breaker measures.
Chan said the recovery next year is expected to be gradual and uneven due to recurring waves of infections in other countries. This is compounded by uncertainties about the pace of production, distribution, and implementation of the vaccine.
Chan also said that the government expects many sectors of Singapore’s economy to change permanently, including in distressed areas such as tourism and aviation.
“We will not go back to the pre-Covid world,” he said.
“We must turn to seize new opportunities and overcome current challenges from now on.”
In addition to reopening the skies over Singapore, the second way the government will seek to achieve this is to safely and progressively resume economic activity, said Mr. Chan.
He noted that phase three of Singapore’s reopening will allow more business and activities to resume. For example, attractions will be able to increase their total capacity from 50% to 65% and shopping centers will be able to accept more visitors.
“For those who have not been able to resume operations, we will continue to work closely with them to test new commercially viable ways of doing so,” he said.
The top priority will be keeping people safe while providing continuity and confidence to businesses to attract investment and serve global markets, Chan added.
The third way in which the Republic will seek to help its economy recover from the pandemic will be by adopting a “clear, consistent, coherent and facilitating stance to attract high-value, long-term investments to be planted in Singapore.”
Chan said this approach has helped attract investment from companies like Hyundai even during the pandemic.
He added: “Our plans include taking advantage of opportunities in various sectors of the group, such as advanced manufacturing, financial services, communications and media, agricultural technology and others.
“In the coming months, we will progressively announce our plans for the respective sectors to drive our next step in economic development.”
Fourth, Singapore will continue to diversify its food and produce supply chains as well as markets to make itself more resilient to disruptions, Chan said.
This will be done by reviewing local food production capacities and expanding Singapore’s network of free trade agreement areas, among other things.
Chan said, “In conclusion, we must never become complacent and lower our guard.
“Otherwise, complacency will bring us a fate no different than countries that have suffered recurring waves of infections that have further disrupted their economic recovery.”
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