Question

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in hosting the World Economic Forum's Special Annual Meeting in May 2021 (a) how will the health requirements be implemented for participants attending the forum; (b) to what extent will Singaporean talents be involved in the executive component of organising the event; and (c) what will be the contingency plans should the situation worsen requiring the closure of borders.

Oral Answer (to be attributed to Minister of State for Trade & Industry and Culture, Community and Youth, Alvin Tan)

1.     The health and safety of the attendees of the World Economic Forum’s Special Annual Meeting in Singapore next May, as well as the local community, is of utmost importance. Attendees will adhere to strict public health requirements and safe management measures. These include a rigorous testing regime, including pre-departure and on-arrival testing, as well as strict safe management measures during the Meeting. To minimise the risk of seeding local transmissions, we will put in place the measures to limit interactions between the local community and the event attendees. The specific public health requirements and contingency plans are currently being worked out, and will take into consideration the latest COVID-19 situations in Singapore and around the world. The health requirements developed for this event could also serve as a reference for subsequent events that are going to be held in Singapore.

2.     The World Economic Forum’s intent is for the Special Annual Meeting to have a greater focus on Asia, given Asia’s growing economic weight in the global economy. We are looking forward to the opportunity for Singapore to contribute to the programme and discussions at the Meeting. In addition, we have also been introducing interested local companies and service providers to the World Economic Forum and their contracted event organiser, PublicisLive, to explore potential partnerships. It will be also be a good chance for us to showcase how Singapore has made it possible through our efforts to maintain robust health protocols while sustaining important economic and business activity amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

3.     In order for us to host the World Economic Forum Special Annual Meeting successfully in Singapore, we will not let our guard down but instead continue to do our best to minimise the number of COVID-19 infections in Singapore.