NDP to return this year as in-person event at floating platform
Participants and audience must be fully vaccinated; pre-event testing for spectators needed
This year's National Day Parade (NDP) will return to the Marina Bay floating platform as a centralised, in-person event, but with fewer participants and spectators, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Monday.
Covid-19 precautions require all participants and spectators to be fully vaccinated, he said.
Performers must undergo antigen rapid testing before every rehearsal - even if rehearsals are held in smaller groups - while spectators must undergo pre-event testing.
Dr Ng was speaking at the Singapore Armed Forces' Mandai Hill Camp ahead of SAF Day today.
He also spoke about how SAF will adapt to a situation where Covid-19 will be endemic, and how large-scale national events would be carried out, with the NDP as an example.
Asked why this year's NDP would be held with live performers and spectators despite persistent unlinked Covid-19 cases in the community, Dr Ng said: "Part of it is learning to live with the disease, an endemic disease. And by August, we hope two-thirds of our population would have received the vaccination.
"The short answer is that we think it can be held safely, and it's an appropriate occasion to shift to living with the disease, but managing it so that you can get back to a new normal."
The new normal, in this instance, is not the usual crowd of 25,000, he said, adding that the NDP organising committee will give more details in a few days. The number of spectators will also be decided later, he said.
All spectators must be fully vaccinated. This refers to all those above 12 years old who are eligible for the national vaccination programme, he said.
Other than the usual combined parade and show, there will also be "heartland activities", he said, although he did not elaborate.
Last year, the NDP was held in a decentralised format that included a morning parade at the Padang and an evening show at The Star Vista with far fewer participants than usual, as the organisers sought to avoid large crowds.
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