[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: Circuit breaker measures should be lifted “carefully and slowly” as the number of community COVID-19 cases “is likely to increase” as some of the measures are reversed, the Minister of Health said on Friday, Gan Kim Yong (May 15).
Responding to a question at a press conference of the multi-ministry workforce, Mr. Gan said, “We have to keep in mind that today, community cases are low, mainly due to circuit breaker measures. that we’ve implemented, including that. In fact, we’ve moved a lot of the work environment to home teleworking, and we’ve actually stopped most of the construction work in Singapore. ”
Ad
As more people return to work and more activities are allowed to resume, Singapore must be “very careful,” he added.
“Because if we are not careful, the number of cases will increase and it is possible that large groups will form again.”
Singapore reported 793 new cases of COVID-19 as of noon on Friday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 26,891.
As of Thursday, the number of community cases has remained in single digits for five consecutive days.
Ad
READ: COVID-19: Singapore Reports Lowest Daily Number of Community Cases Since Circuit Breaker Start
A “step-by-step” and “cautious” approach is needed when lifting the measures of the circuit breakers, Gan said.
He added: “We hope that as more are opened, as some of the switch measures are reversed or relaxed, we are likely to see an increase in the number of cases in the community.
“We hope that if we do it carefully and we do it well, the number, even as it increases, will continue to increase slowly, and will continue to be under control and we will be able to increase our contact tracking, our quarantine efforts to minimize the risk of transmission in the community and minimize the risk of large groups forming. ”
If there is a large group or sharp spike in the number of cases, some breaker measures could be reintroduced to “suppress the number of cases”.
LOOKING CLOSE
The task force is “watching closely” as the restrictions are eased, but studying the number of cases in the community and how they are linked or unlinked will be key, said director of medical services at the Ministry of Health, Kenneth Mak .
“But it really all depends on us, continuing to do our best, not going out unnecessarily, not mixing and having too much close contact,” added Professor Mak Assoc.
“Even when we start doing some of these activities again, social interactions have to change. And we must be aware that these are risky activities and could in fact lead to the formation of groups. “
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
