| What do you do when you've protected your population from Covid-19 with strict social distancing and border restrictions, but each time you look ready to move beyond the pandemic, a new flareup appears? Oh, and your residents are going stir crazy stuck on an island that runs 50 kilometers (31 miles) from east to west, and 27 kilometers from north to south. That's the dilemma Singapore's leaders have grappled with for over a year. And the repeated tightening and easing and tightening again of its virus rules have worn down its people and economy, both heavily reliant on the island's connectivity to the world for travel and commerce. Now the island is aiming for a feat no country has achieved so far: reopen to the world and emerge from the pandemic with a death toll still in the double digits. It wants to return its economy to normalcy but keep severe Covid infections at an acceptable, manageable level. In a plan laid out by officials last month, the tiny city-state is eyeing the resumption of some international travel by September. On Friday, it doubled down on its reopening promise—easing work-from-home rules, allowing dining in at restaurants again, and resuming entry approvals for work pass holders even as daily case numbers remain elevated by Singapore's standards. To do that, it's trying to snuff out an outbreak driven by the delta variant and reach a vaccination level—80%—that few countries have achieved but which the government says will put Singapore in a position where it can live with the virus.  Outdoor dining areas have been cordoned off in Singapore. Photographer: ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP It was not—and still may not be—a straight path to that post-pandemic future, even for a country that is one of the most successful in the world at containing Covid. There were eight people in intensive care as of Aug. 4 even as average daily infections exceeded 100 in the last 10 days. Like other so-called Covid Zero countries, which eliminated the virus with aggressive rules and border curbs, Singapore has lower levels of natural immunity, which makes opening up borders that have kept the virus in check for so long a daunting proposition. The rise of the delta variant and evidence that vaccinations may offer less protection against infection by new strains have also raised concerns about the safety of reopening plans. And if new variants of concern emerge, particularly any that are more dangerous than the delta strain, or if hospitalizations and deaths far exceed anticipated numbers, then dialing back the reopening plan "would not only be technically correct, but also morally an imperative," says Jeremy Lim, associate professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore. But if Singapore pulls off its pivot, it'll provide a template for Covid Zero places that include mainland China, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong to rejoin the world. With more than half its population fully vaccinated, and over 70% already receiving at least one dose, that may be a risk worth taking.—Stephanie Phang and Faris Mokhtar | 
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