Things Get Tighter In Singapore After Authorities Realize Many Undetected Covid-19 Cases

PM Singapore Lee Hsien Loong (Instagram / @ leehsienloong)

JAKARTA - In a speech, Singapore's Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong conveyed several important things made by his government to fight COVID-19. Some of them are, closing most offices in the country starting Tuesday 7 April.

In addition, all schools will also be converted into a home learning system. There were 1,114 cases of COVID-19 in Singapore, 5 people were declared dead and 266 people were successfully cured. Quoted by The Straits News, Friday, April 3, the policy does not apply to major economic sectors and essential services, such as food companies, markets, supermarkets, clinics, hospitals, transportation and banking services.

Educational activities for children under five or preschool and other student services will also be closed. However, PM Lee Hsien Loong said that it would provide "limited services for children of parents who have to continue working".

On the occasion, PM Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore has received reports of more than 50 new cases every day for the past two weeks, despite the best efforts of the authorities to prevent the outbreak.

"Initially, a lot of new cases from abroad, mostly Singaporeans who returned. Then last week, we started to have more local cases. In addition, even though our contact tracing was good, almost half of these cases we don't know where or from. who is that person contracted the virus, "said Lee Hsien Loong.

"This shows that there are more people out there who are infected, but who have not been identified. And they are probably transmitting the virus without anyone knowing," he added.

"While the situation remains under control, the government has decided to take decisive steps now to prevent an increase in infections," said PM Lee.

After discussions with task forces from various ministries, he said the Singaporean Government had decided to take stricter steps.

"We have decided that instead of gradually tightening up over the next few weeks, we have to make decisive steps now, to prevent the infection from escalating. We are therefore going to implement much stricter measures. It's like a circuit breaker," he said. .

PM Lee also said the Government would tighten restrictions on meetings. It boils down to three things, he said.

"First, stay at home, as much as possible. Second, avoid socializing with other people outside of your home," he said, adding that people should avoid visiting the homes of their families who do not live together, especially if they are elderly.

Third, people who are allowed to go only to do important things, such as buying food at the market or to restaurants and hawker centers, exercise in the neighborhood, but still have to maintain a safe distance from others.

"The passion for taking these steps also makes us all minimize physical contact. If we don't go outside, if we avoid contact with other people, the virus won't be able to spread. It's that simple," he added.

In a statement, the Health Ministry said social distancing measures would be in place for four weeks from April 7 to May 4.

"Entities that can comply with this measure are strongly encouraged to do so. The current safety-distancing measures at limits and physical segregation remain in place and must be adhered to strictly, especially over the weekend," he said.

All tourist attractions, theme parks, museums and casinos will also be closed from Tuesday 7 April. Sports and recreation facilities, such as public swimming pools, clubs, fitness centers and fitness studios will also be closed, along with all recreational facilities at the hotel.

PM Lee also said that the government would no longer prohibit people from wearing masks given the current state of being vulnerable. Previously, the Singaporean government said only unhealthy people could wear masks.

But with signs that the virus is spreading in society, wearing a mask "can help protect others". Therefore, the Singapore Government will distribute masks that can be used for all people starting this week, to be precise Sunday 5 April.

The next few weeks will be very important, he stressed. Singapore noted that the number of cases is likely to continue to increase in the next few days. "But if we keep working, within a few weeks we should be able to lower the numbers, and do something more sustainable," he said.

"It will be a long struggle. We have the resources. We have determination. We are united. By helping each other through this, we will win and will be stronger," said the Singaporean PM.