Coronavirus: Singapore outbreak slows, reaches key metric tied to easing restrictions

Singapore’s weekly infection growth rate fell below 1.0 after 3,635 new cases were recorded, but reopening may not be immediate

Elsewhere, South Korea opened quarantine centres for students taking the crucial college entrance exam, and Manila’s curfew was lifted

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A man entering a food centre checks in on his phone before being allowed to dine in, as part of Singapore’s coronavirus restrictions. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:00pm, 4 Nov 2021Updated: 11:41pm, 4 Nov 2021

Singapore’s Covid-19 outbreak may be slowing.

The number of new local infections fell in the past week compared to a week earlier for the first time since mid-October, marking a key milestone that could lead to an easing of restrictions in the financial hub.

The Southeast Asian city state is tracking its local caseload on a week-over-week basis to show how fast and in what direction the virus is moving.

Called the weekly infection growth rate, the ratio is critical for Singapore’s reopening plans. Getting the number consistently below 1.0 is a government target, which could trigger the next round of calibrated easing of some Covid-19 curbs, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said last month.

On Wednesday night, the Ministry of Health reported that the ratio of community cases for the past week, compared to a week earlier, had fallen to 0.96.

A total of 3,003 new cases were recorded on Thursday, a sharp drop from a week earlier when there was a mysterious surge of new infections, with cases hitting 4,651 last Wednesday.

It is unknown how fast the government may move now that the infection growth rate that it targeted has been reached. It dipped below 1 for a few days in mid-October before rising again, so easing may not come immediately.