Singapore to enter phase 3 on Dec 28; gatherings of up to 8 to be allowed

SINGAPORE - Singapore will enter phase three of its reopening in two weeks, on Dec 28, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday (Dec 14).

The permitted group size for social gatherings will go up from five to eight, with capacity limits in public places such as malls, attractions and places of worship to be increased.

More details on the reopening will be released shortly, during a press conference chaired by the multi-ministerial task force tackling the crisis.

In a televised national address, PM Lee expressed his gratitude to Singaporeans who complied with the spirit of the rules to keep the coronavirus under control.

"We stayed united, kept up our guard, and did not allow ourselves to become complacent over time," he said. "With everyone's full support, our enhanced safeguards worked, and we could gradually ease our restrictions. And we can be proud of how far we have come."

Phase three means that Singapore will end the year with some good news, he added.

The Prime Minister noted that it has nearly been a full year since Singapore's first Covid-19 case on Jan 23.

[[nid:512667]]

But much has changed within the last few months, with the country managing to get the daily number of new infections down from more than 1,000 cases in March and April, to zero cases of local transmissions on most days now.

He noted that when the pandemic first started, people were worried about supermarkets having sufficient supplies. Parents were concerned about whether their children should go to school.

But now, supermarket shelves are full, the school year has been kept intact, and life is more normal than it was during the two-month circuit breaker period.

It took a tremendous effort, and some good luck for Singapore to bring things under control, Mr Lee added.

Singapore's hard measures worked, and Singaporeans showed resilience and took them in their stride. "Our economy took a big hit, but we did not let it crash. Despite the global economic dislocation, most of our workers kept their jobs."

Now, the country's defences against Covid-19 are much stronger, Mr Lee said.

It has steadily built up its testing procedures and capacities, with rostered routine testing of higher risk groups and antigen rapid tests at larger gatherings and events.

It has also beefed up its contact tracing capabilities, such as expanding the SafeEntry and TraceTogether programmes.

"We got used to the inconvenient restrictions, and found ways to carry on with life," Mr Lee said. "We looked after one another, reminding each other to adhere to safe distancing, to wear masks, to see a doctor if ill, and so on."

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.