Istana opens to public on Aug 1 to mark National Day; first open house since Covid-19 hit

SINGAPORE — On Aug 1, the Istana will open its grounds to the public to mark Singapore’s 56th birthday.

This is the first time that the official residence of Singapore’s President will open its doors to visitors since it closed in February last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The open house on Aug 1 follows the easing of measures to combat the coronavirus and the safe resumption of activities in the community, the office of President Halimah Yacob said in a statement on Tuesday (July 13).

Singapore’s National Day, which marks its independence, falls on Aug 9. 

Unlike previous open houses, the Aug 1 event will not have performances, tours, booths or food trucks to prevent large groups from gathering.

In addition, safe-distancing ambassadors will ensure that visitors observe precautions against Covid-19.

“The Istana seeks visitors’ cooperation and understanding, so that the upcoming Istana open house will be a pleasant experience for all,” the President’s office said.

In response to TODAY’s queries, it added that only the 4,000 ticket holders of the previous Istana open house — which had been scheduled for May 13 this year but was later cancelled — will be admitted.

“The number of tickets available for each upcoming open house will be adjusted over time, based on the prevailing safe management guidelines and Istana’s crowd control situations.”

The May open house was to have been the Istana’s first since the pandemic struck, but the event to celebrate Labour Day and Hari Raya Puasa was called off owing to a spike in infections in the community.

The President’s office said that similar to other parks, visitors are not required to take a Covid-19 test to enter the Istana grounds.

Instead, they will have to perform SafeEntry check-ins upon entry to the Istana using their TraceTogether contact-tracing mobile application or token.

The  office added that visitors can visit only the open spaces of the Istana grounds during the open house and are not permitted to enter any of its buildings.