Singapore, Oh So Carefully, Lets Down Its Masks

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- The most amazing thing about the margarita in my hand at 10:35 p.m. Tuesday was that it was there at all. It was the first evening of a new, relatively relaxed Covid regime in Singapore. Strict curbs on the late-night sale of alcohol were lifted, masks ceased to be compulsory outdoors and social gatherings could number 10 people. Singing was no longer outlawed. This was a moment worth toasting, cautiously.

While the changes stop short of a revolution — the city-state isn't known for spontaneous lurches — they are nevertheless significant. Singapore mandated face coverings outdoors longer than many places, and made transgressions punishable. For a long time, officials kept group sizes to five, even in homes. Liquor had to be off the table before 10:30 p.m. While quarantine-free travel for vaccinated people has been allowed since late last year, the process is still full of bureaucracy. The experience wasn't free of controversy, either: In the early days of omicron, officials tried to separate children from parents and some poor folk who tested positive after arrival were shoved into confinement with complete strangers.

Singapore now wants to move on. The government says infections are receding after a surge at the start of the year. Almost every eligible adult is vaccinated. Many people have had at least a mild form of Covid recently, including myself, and the world hasn't ended. (Authorities say you can leave home isolation after just three days, provided you no longer test positive.) The disease has lost its stigma. “Earlier, we were cautious because of uncertainty over omicron's impact,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a March 24 address, almost two years since announcing the first of a series of lockdowns. “We are now ready to take a decisive step forward towards living with Covid-19.”

The pandemic increasingly feels like yesterday's story, even as Singapore emphasizes eternal vigilance. The commercial and reputational costs of strict curbs were beginning to exceed the marginal benefits to public health of maintaining them. The economic rebound is in its second year, though the numbers are less eye-popping than in 2021: The government expects gross domestic product will increase 3% to 5% this year, down from 7.6% in 2021. The tourism and lodging industry, once vibrant, has been limping along. The city-state's treasured role as an aviation hub was in jeopardy as other advanced economies accelerated reopening. Employers have complained about labor shortages. The central bank is prioritizing the fight against price increases. Monetary policy was tightened in January and economists expect further strikes against inflation.

Everyday life also seems to be evolving. Checking in with the government's contact-tracing app is still mandatory, though the staff monitoring adherence look thoroughly bored. On recent weekends, I've seen attendants at a popular mall napping, slumped over their desk and unaware of the foot traffic around them. Fewer people covered their faces during pre-dawn walks in the park next to my home as the months wore on.

In other practical ways, Singapore's transition looks more gradual than radical. On Orchard Road, the iconic shopping strip, most pedestrians Wednesday afternoon had their masks on. Only a handful of people weren't wearing masks at lunch hour in the suburb of Serangoon Gardens, roughly in the center of the country. Because coverings are still required inside, it's too inconvenient to have to remember when to take them on or off. In this sense, the new steps taken by the government are risk-free. You get the positive headlines for relaxing, but most of the population will keep with old habits through inertia.

Nor was it exactly party time in bars and restaurants Tuesday night — the veiled virtue of a mid-week rule change. By Saturday night, things were livelier. At “Appetite,” a restaurant and bar on Amoy Street, a waitress appeared at 10:30 p.m. with complementary champagne for patrons, while owner-chef Ivan Brehm pumped up the volume on the 1970s David Bowie hit “Changes.” Guests clinked glasses with anyone around them, united in their desire not to repeat the past two years.

Leaders have cautioned that there will be no U.K.-style “Freedom Day” in Singapore, a big-bang moment when change comes suddenly, at the risk of a big jump in illness. It's also possible things could go backward, with fresh crackdowns should new and more dangerous mutations of Covid develop.

Singapore isn't sprinting to the finish line — more like a brisk walk. As long as the direction is clear, I'll drink to that.

More from This Writer and Others at Bloomberg Opinion:

Singapore Still Wants Smart, Rich Expats: Rachel Rosenthal
What Else Could Covid Have in Store? Ask the Rabbits: Faye Flam
A Singapore Transplant Roams Mask-Free in the U.S.: Daniel Moss

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Daniel Moss is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian economies. Previously he was executive editor of Bloomberg News for global economics, and has led teams in Asia, Europe and North America.