The Southeast Asian nation, which spent at least $72.3 billion to contain the virus, won plaudits for limiting deaths and establishing one of the world’s highest vaccination rates. But loopholes in its early quarantine regime allowed the virus to enter and spread, leading to a partial lockdown in April 2020.
Singapore should have closed its borders more aggressively once it appeared Covid-19 was spreading globally, a government report found, hinting that it will act faster in future pandemics.
Restrictions that hindered expatriates from returning to the city during the crisis alienated them, according to the white paper based on insights from former civil service head Peter Ho and other agencies. A U-turn on mask-wearing also hurt public sentiment, the report published Wednesday found.
