Istana cancels May 13 open house as Covid-19 community cases rise
A view of the Istana when it had an open house in the days before the Covid-19 pandemic.
SINGAPORE — An Istana open house planned for next Thursday (May 13) has been cancelled owing to a recent spate of locally transmitted Covid-19 cases in Singapore.
The office of President Halimah Yacob said in a statement on Tuesday that Singapore has seen an unfortunate spike in community cases this past week.
“We have therefore decided to err on the side of caution and cancel the open house. We apologise for any inconveniences caused.
“The Istana looks forward to welcoming visitors again once the Covid-19 situation has improved,” it said.
The President’s Office added that those with tickets to next Thursday’s event may use them for the next open house.
The event, announced last Wednesday, was the start of a plan to reopen the Istana to the public in stages, since the coronavirus crisis had stabilised here before the recent outbreak of virus clusters.
It was meant to celebrate Labour Day on May 1 and Hari Raya Puasa — which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan — on May 13.
It would have been the first open house held by the Istana, the official residence of Singapore’s President, since it closed in February last year because of the pandemic.
Singapore is racing to contain a surge in locally transmitted virus cases.
Many of them are linked to a cluster at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, which now has 40 confirmed cases.
With the surge in infections, the Government’s Covid-19 task force last Friday imposed stricter guidelines on gatherings and urged the public to reduce social activities and stay home where possible.
It also tightened entry rules at shopping centres, attractions and other public places in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.
