Singapore's Social Divisions Aren't So Clear Cut
The role of foreigners in the economy has been scrutinized amid the pandemic, yet class anxieties may be the country's bigger pressure point.
The haves.
Photographer: Wei Leng Tay/BloombergSingapore has declared its intent to begin putting the pandemic behind it and rebrand as what the health minister calls a “Covid-resilient nation.” Dismounting from the carousel of closures and reopenings is going to be tough — the city state has had a few false dawns. Even harder will be papering over the social and economic divisions that have deepened because of the disease.
Lockdown-like restrictions began easing Tuesday, with dine-in allowed for groups of up to five, provided they are vaccinated. Work-from-home rules will be relaxed next week. Travel, vital to the republic’s standing as a hub, could become less gnarled by bureaucracy. In many activities, the fully inoculated will enjoy more freedoms, though the hawker centers and mom-and-pop coffee shops beloved by Singaporeans can seat groups of two regardless of shot status.