Singapore, Oh So Carefully, Lets Down Its Masks

The most amazing thing about the margarita in my hand at 10:35 p.m. Tuesday was that it was there at all. It was the first evening of a new, relatively relaxed Covid regime in Singapore. Strict curbs on the late-night sale of alcohol were lifted, masks ceased to be compulsory outdoors and social gatherings could number 10 people. Singing was no longer outlawed. This was a moment worth toasting, cautiously. While the changes stop short of a revolution — the city-state isn’t known for spontaneous lurches — they are nevertheless significant. Singapore mandated face coverings outdoors longer than many places, and made transgressions punishable.