Istana cancels May 13 open house amid COVID-19 concerns

SINGAPORE: The Istana Open House scheduled for May 13 has been cancelled, the President's Office said on Tuesday (May 4). 

The cancellation comes just a week after the event, a combined open house to celebrate Labour Day and Hari Raya Puasa, was announced as part of further easing of COVID-19 measures in Phase 3 of Singapore's reopening.

Earlier this week, a rising number of local infections, including cases linked to the growing Tan Tock Seng Hospital cluster, led the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force to issue an advisory calling for reduced social interactions in the community. 

"With the COVID-19 situation stabilising in the preceding months, we had previously planned to reopen the Istana to the public in stages, starting with this IOH (Istana Open House) in May," said the President's Office in a media release. 

However, with the increase in the number of local cases, the office said it has decided to "err on the side of caution" and cancel the event, adding it looks forward to welcoming visitors again "once the COVID-19 situation has improved".

Those with tickets to the open house on May 13 will be able to gain admission to the next open house using their existing tickets. 

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