Coronavirus: Singapore to ease ‘circuit breaker’ partial lockdown starting May 5

Traditional Chinese medicine clinics will open first followed by home-based businesses, laundry services, barbers and others from May 12

But venues that require ‘large groups gathering in close proximity’ may have to wait ‘for quite some time’, a minister said

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A view of the ‘SG Love’ message on the facade of the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Published: 12:24pm, 2 May 2020Updated: 10:14pm, 2 May 2020

Singapore on Saturday announced that it would gradually ease its partial coronavirus lockdown as the number of cases in the community dipped, with businesses to resume operations in phases starting on Tuesday.

Traditional Chinese medicine clinics will be allowed to resume acupuncture and selling goods first, followed by other businesses, including stand-alone food outlets, laundry services and barber shops, to resume operations from May 12. Schools will also bring back students from the graduating cohort for face-to-face consultations in small groups from May 19.

“With the decrease in community transmission, the multi-ministry task force will progressively ease the tightened circuit breaker measures over the coming weeks,” said health minister Gan Kim Yong at a virtual press conference.

Singapore currently has more than 17,000 infections, some 85 per cent of which are among the city state’s low-wage migrant worker community living in dormitories. Even though the number of cases among this group remains high, community transmission has largely stabilised, with an average daily tally of 12 cases.

Singapore Health Minister Gan Kim Yong. Photo: EPA

The island nation has been under a partial lockdown since April 7, with most workplaces and schools closed and only businesses providing essential services such as food and groceries remaining open. Its so-called circuit breaker measures were initially slated to expire on May 5, but as the number of cases among its low-wage migrant workers swell, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong extended the lockdown until June 1.