Pandemic Borders

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens Singapore’s very existence as a global trade hub.

In this two-parter, we see how the island is keeping its borders open, to keep goods and people flowing, while keeping the virus and its deadly variants at bay.

We spotlight the everyday heroes at our borders that take on the risk of contracting a mutating virus. We talk to the insiders contending with the precarious balancing act of opening borders wide enough to prevent economic collapse, while ensuring the virus would not bring everything to a standstill.

We uncover the little-known role that Changi Airport plays in organ transplants and in keeping global sea routes running. And we go inside a hotel turned Stay-Home-Notice quarantine facility to see how they maintain the movement of people without compromising safety in this new COVID normal.