Daily briefing: US VP Harris to visit SG next week; SG economy relies on 'openness': Health Minister

And Singapore will not reach herd immunity despite the high vaccination rate.

From Reuters

US Vice President Kamala Harris will be visiting Singapore and Vietnam, starting Sunday, during which she is expected to show the US will stay in the region.

“The administration is... making clear that we have an enduring commitment to this region, that we're part of the Indo-Pacific and in the region to stay,” an official told Reuters.

Harris will be meeting Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

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From Bloomberg

Singapore’s economy will continue to rely on its openness to foreign investments, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said.

“COVID-19 has underlined a fundamental reality about Singapore: We are too small to survive on our own and we must tap global markets,” Ong said as he spoke before members of the European Chamber of Commerce in Singapore.

“Openness is a fundamental value.”

Read more here.

From Mothership

Singapore will not likely reach herd immunity despite the high vaccination, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said.

“The path towards being a Covid resilient nation is going to be a long and hard slog,” Wong said.

“Even with very high vaccination rates, we are not going to reach herd immunity, where the outbreak just fizzles out.”

Read more here.