Singapore wants to stop counting Covid cases. Its roadmap could be a model for other countries
Helen Regan, CNN • Updated 30th June 2021
The roadmap, proposed by three members of Singapore's Covid-19
task force, would scrap lockdowns and mass contact tracing and allow
for a return to quarantine-free travel and the resumption of large
gatherings. It would even stop counting the daily Covid cases.
The
proposal is a radical departure from the so-called "zero transmission"
model adopted by several countries and territories -- including rival
Asian business hub Hong Kong -- which have so far proved successful at avoiding large outbreaks.
But
this "zero transmission" model, which requires stringent, often
punishing quarantine measures, will be almost impossible to maintain as
new variants spread, and long term is simply not sustainable, the task
force members claim. Instead, they say living with Covid can be done.
"The
bad news is that Covid-19 may never go away. The good news is that it
is possible to live normally with it in our midst," said Singapore's
Trade Minister Gan Kim Yong, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong and Health
Minister Ong Ye Kung, in an op-ed in the Straits Times last week.
"We
can turn the pandemic into something much less threatening, like
influenza, hand, foot and mouth disease, or chickenpox, and get on with
our lives."
It's
a bold plan that could become a template for other countries looking to
return to normal life and resume travel and tourism -- and offer hope
for frustrated residents eager to get their lives back on track after 18
months of pandemic restrictions.
How they'll do it
The key for a lighter approach to the pandemic? High vaccination rates.
Singapore
is on track for two-thirds of its population to have received their
first vaccine dose by early July, and aims to fully vaccinate that
figure by August 9.
"Vaccines
are highly effective in reducing the risk of infection as well as
transmission. Even if you are infected, vaccines will help prevent
severe Covid-19 symptoms," the ministers said.
As
more people get vaccinated, the way Singapore monitors daily Covid-19
infection numbers will change. Following a path similar to how it tracks
influenza infections, Singapore will monitor those who fall seriously
sick or how many are in intensive care units. Infected people will be
allowed to recover at home.
"We will worry less about the health care system being overwhelmed," they said.
With
new, potentially more contagious variants posing a concern around the
world, the minsters said booster shots may be needed in the future and
suggested a "multi-year vaccination program" be established.
While
testing and surveillance will still be needed, they propose conducting
tests in specific scenarios such as ahead of large social events, or
when traveling back from abroad, rather than to track and quarantine
close contacts.
To
do this, the ministers say faster and easier methods of testing will be
rolled out as PCR tests take too long to provide results. Other methods
"in the pipeline" include breathalysers that take about one to two
minutes to produce results.
In
time, more treatments will become available for Covid-19. Already, the
ministers point to therapeutics that are effective in treating the
critically ill, and quicken recovery, as well as reducing severity of
illness and deaths.
They
also say citizens will be urged to practice "social responsibility"
such as good hygiene and staying away from crowds when feeling unwell to
reduce transmission rates.
"With
vaccination, testing, treatment and social responsibility, it may mean
that in the near future, when someone gets Covid-19, our response can be
very different from now," the ministers said.
Other countries remain cautious
Singapore had been held up as a success story in
controlling the virus, thanks to strict border controls, instituting
quarantines and contact tracing as well as rules on social gatherings
and mask wearing.
It
managed to contain earlier outbreaks, including a peak of cases in
April last year. In May, a small cluster of cases was connected to
Changi Airport employees, prompting tighter curbs.
The
city-state of 5.7 million people has been averaging about 18 cases a
day in the past month and has recorded just 36 deaths since the pandemic
started, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Its
new approach is a departure from other places that have been successful
at managing the pandemic but have comparatively low vaccination rates
and have recently reimposed tougher restrictions.
A
variant of the Covid-19 virus known as the Delta variant, first
identified in India, is spreading rapidly in some regions and on track
to become the dominant virus strain globally, health experts warn. CNN's Michael Holmes reports.
Several
Australian states put their capital cities -- home to around 10.2
million people -- into lockdown on Monday over concerns the Delta strain
could spark significant outbreaks.
Australia was celebrated for its initial response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but vaccine rates are low. Australia has fully vaccinated
nearly 5% of its population, compared with more than 46% in the United
States and 48% in the UK, according to Our World in Data.
New
Zealand said it was considering making masks compulsory at high alert
levels and halted a quarantine-free travel bubble with neighboring
Australia following an outbreak of the Delta variant.
And financial center Hong Kong, where vaccine hesitancy is high and only 21% of the population
has been fully vaccinated, announced it will suspend passenger flights
from the United Kingdom from July 1, over rising cases of the Delta
variant there.
Meanwhile, mainland China may have administered more than 1 billion
Covid-19 vaccine doses, but it is thinking about keeping its borders
shut for another year. The southern city of Guangzhou, a major
international travel hub, is planning on building a huge quarantine
center with 5,000 rooms to house travelers and Covid-19 close contacts
over fears of the Delta variant's spread, according to state-run newspaper Global Times.
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