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SINGAPORE (The Straits Times / ANN): Singapore will enter phase three of its reopening in two weeks on December 28, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday (December 14).
The group size allowed for social gatherings will increase from five to eight, and capacity limits will be increased in public places such as shopping malls, attractions and places of worship.
More details on the reopening will be released shortly, during a press conference chaired by the multi-ministerial working group addressing the crisis.
In a televised national address, Prime Minister Lee expressed his gratitude to Singaporeans who followed the spirit of the rules to keep the coronavirus under control.
“We stuck together, we kept our guard and we did not allow ourselves to become complacent over time,” he said. “With everyone’s full support, our enhanced safeguards worked and we were able to gradually ease our restrictions. And we can be proud of how far we’ve come.”
The third phase means that Singapore will end the year with good news, he added.
The Prime Minister noted that it has been almost a year since Singapore’s first Covid-19 case on January 23.
But a lot has changed in recent months, with the country managing to reduce the daily number of new infections from more than 1,000 cases in March and April to zero cases of local transmission on most days.
He noted that when the pandemic started, people were concerned that supermarkets had sufficient supplies. Parents were concerned about whether their children should go to school.
But now, the supermarket shelves are full, the school year has remained intact, and life is more normal than it was during the two-month breaker period.
It took a tremendous effort and some good luck for Singapore to get things under control, Lee added.
Singapore’s tough measures worked, and Singaporeans showed resistance and took it easy.
“Our economy took a big hit, but we didn’t allow it to collapse. Despite the global economic dislocation, most of our workers kept their jobs.”
Now, the country’s defenses against Covid-19 are much stronger, Lee said.
It has steadily improved its testing capabilities and procedures, with routine tests listed in higher risk groups and rapid antigen testing at larger meetings and events.
It has also strengthened its contact tracing capabilities, such as expanding the SafeEntry and TraceTogether programs.
“We get used to inconvenient restraints and find ways to get on with life,” Lee said.
“We take care of each other, reminding each other to respect safe distancing, wear masks, see a doctor if we are sick, etc.” – The Straits Times / Asia News Network
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