SINGAPORE, 1 June 2020:
A big relief to all but certainly not without its risks, said Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong – referring to more circuit breaker measures to be lifted starting tomorrow (June 2) that will see the reopening of up three-quarters of the economy and a third of its workforce returning to work.
“The number of daily cases in the community has come down considerably. More patients have now recovered and have been discharged than those still receiving care. However, Covid-19 is still far from defeated,” Lee said in his latest Facebook update.
As at noon today, Singapore has confirmed 408 new cases of Covid-19 bringing the tally to 35,292 with all new cases involving migrant workers residing in dormitories and no cases in the community. A total of 21,699 patients, or about 63% from yesterday’s tally of 34,884, have fully recovered.
As many are looking forward to seeing their friends in school again, visiting parents and grandparents, Lee advised they “must remain cautious and vigilant”.
“Please keep your guard up. Maintain safe distancing, wear masks when outdoors and at work, watch your personal hygiene and wash hands frequently. Avoid crowds and gatherings.
“If we all do these, then life can go on more or less normally after the circuit breaker. We don’t want Covid-19 cases to spike up again, and be forced to tighten up once more.
“Even after a vaccine is found, everything will not simply go back to the way it was before. Covid-19 has exposed how vulnerable our way of life is. But it has also given us the opportunity to prove our mettle, and come back stronger.”
As the eight-week long circuit breaker which took effect on April 7 ends, the prime minister thanked everyone again for playing their part so that Singapore can now reopen safely.
“We must all keep at it together. Do not allow the sacrifices of our healthcare workers and others who have kept Singapore running to be in vain,” he wrote before ending his posting with his initial, LHL.
The republic will now embark on a controlled approach to resume activities safely over three phases which are Phase One (Safe Re-opening), planned to be done in two-incubation periods; followed by Phase Two (Safe Transition), and Phase Three (Safe Nation).
Singapore on April 26 announced its fourth budget known as the “Fortitude Budget” worth S$33 billion for the next phase of its fight against Covid-19.
It reported another death due to Covid-19, bringing the number of fatalities to 24.
The republic’s Ministry of Health said in a statement the latest death involved a 51-year-old male Chinese national who died on May 31 at the National University Hospital.
Identified as Case 17329, the victim was confirmed to have the infection on May 1, and was diagnosed with lymphoma complicated by multi-organ failure while warded in the intensive care unit at the end of April.
Despite being treated for lymphoma, his condition had deteriorated and he subsequently passed on, said the ministry.
Singapore reported its first two Covid-19 deaths on March 21.
Over four months, Singapore has tabled four budgets, the first of which was a normal annual budget, the S$10.9 billion “Unity Budget” on Feb 18, followed by the S$48 billion “Resilience Budget” on March 26, and S$5.1 billion “Solidarity Budget” on April 6.
Also, thousands of people returned to work and the public transport was back on the Manila roads today as the government began relaxing the 78-day strict stay-at-home orders – the longest lockdown in the world – to restart the economy of the Philippines.
The government allowed the opening of more non-essential services even as the Covid-19 infection curve continues to rise across the country.
Almost all establishments were allowed to open – except beauty salons, barbershops, and massage parlours. However, restaurants can only offer takeaways.
“As more sectors and industries begin to operate, let us continue cooperating with authorities in enforcing quarantine protocols,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement yesterday evening.
“Let us take care of each other by wearing face masks, face shields, maintaining physical, social distancing, staying at home if (and) when need be and avoiding crowded places, and the like.”
To ensure a 2m distance between people, the government reduced carrying capacity in metro coaches to 15% and in buses to 35%.
Jeepneys – old World War II military jeeps converted into public transport vehicles – and UV express vans will not be able to operate until the second half of June, making it difficult for thousands of low-income people to travel as they are the cheapest modes of transport in the capital.
Some experts have warned the start of the de-escalation is premature as the Philippines has not yet managed to control the infections, which exceed 18,000 in the country – 64% in the capital – with 957 deaths and only 3,900 patients recovered.
More than 3,000 new cases have been confirmed in the last two days – a daily record since the start of the epidemic, raising doubts whether the country and especially the overcrowded capital, is prepared, from a health point of view, for the de-escalation.
However, easing the lockdown is vital to reviving the economy as millions of families have gone hungry during the quarantine with some even going out into the streets despite the restrictions.
It is estimated that 2.6 million Filipinos have lost their jobs during the lockdown and the figure could reach 10 million by the end of the year as the economy enters recession for the first time since 1998.
In the rest of the Philippines, most provinces, especially the island regions in the central part of the country, have almost returned to normal although big cities such as Cebu and Zamboanga remain in the same phase as Manila.
– Bernama, EFE