Covid Singapore, stop free treatment at no vax. The Italian ambassador: “Urgency is to leave again”

“The priority for Singapore at the moment is to reclaim its role as a very important hub in the region of the world which is today the global center of gravity for travel, traffic” and the stop to free treatment for the unvaccinated “responds to the urgency to immunize the population, making the country capable of responding to any peaks when the greatest effort is to return to normality. These may seem very drastic decisions but they are dictated by the need to restart “. Thus Mario Vattani, Italian ambassador to Singapore, comments with Adnkronos on the new provisions introduced in the Asian country which has chosen not to pay covid treatment anymore to those who voluntarily choose not to get vaccinated. “In Singapore, after a few peaks, the situation has stabilized at about 3 thousand daily infections – explains Vattani – The restrictions are strong, with a compulsory mask outdoors and social meetings limited to a maximum of two people, even if there has recently been a slight easing. Access to restaurants, shops, supermarkets is limited to vaccinated people and there is a sophisticated control system via mobile app, which also serves as a tracking in case of outbreaks. The percentage of vaccinated is very high, exceeds 85%, however, among the elderly there are some who are not vaccinated. The government has been carrying out a strong campaign for vaccines for some time and now, accepting the requests made by some parliamentarians and some groups of citizens, has chosen to take a stronger position towards those who have not responded positively to a pro-vaccine campaign that is widespread and hinges on civic sense, something that is profoundly part of Singapore’s way of thinking “.” Here – a Vattani added – we cannot speak of a no vax movement, there are no demonstrations or protests. Those who do not get vaccinated are generally part of an older generation that is not reached by this pervasive campaign or that simply has personal doubts. The problem, however, is that it is these elderly people who end up occupying the beds in intensive care, and the country does not want to be in a position to have a health service under pressure. Also and above all because Singapore has always presented itself as a fundamental international hub for both goods and people. For this reason, the policy in the last two months has been to start opening corridors for vaccinated with a series of countries, Germany, Brunei, then Italy, France, Denmark, the United States and GB, now Korea. Singapore cannot afford to give up its role as an international hub for too long. And this measure responds to the urgency of vaccinating the population when the country wants to return to normal air traffic “. As for Europe or Italy, adds Vattani,” it is difficult to make comparisons, and not only from the point of view of given the numbers, being Singapore a small country that obviously suffers any spikes of infections more than a country that has wider shoulders from the point of view of the population: Asia, especially the Confucian one of which Singapore is fully part, is very different with us: if in Europe individual rights and freedom of choice have more weight, here, from what world and world, the collective interest is placed before the individual interest “.