Coronavirus: Singapore delays easing of curbs as cases surge; infections in Thailand hit record

The health ministry said the plans to relax and simplify some rules in phases, originally due to happen on February 25 and March 4, will be delayed

Elsewhere, Australian carrier Qantas reported a large six-month loss as the Omicron variant extended the air travel sector’s woes

3-MIN READ3-MIN

A woman gets vaccinated against Covid-19 in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Published: 3:05pm, 24 Feb 2022Updated: 3:34pm, 24 Feb 2022

Singapore will push back plans to ease limits on home gatherings and other pandemic curbs as a resurgent Covid-19 outbreak tests the city state’s pivot to living with the virus.

The plans to ease and simplify some virus rules in phases, originally due to happen on February 25 and March 4, will be delayed, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health on Thursday.

This is because of the current surge in daily cases and the extensive work needed to go through detailed rules that have accumulated across different settings over the past two years, it said.

The Southeast Asian financial hub this month said it intended to substantially relax travel and social restrictions once the current wave of infections peaks, in contrast to rival city Hong Kong’s approach.

Still, the wave may take a few weeks yet to subside, and authorities have appealed to the public to stay home and recover if symptoms are mild, to avoid straining the health care system. This comes as local cases breach 20,000 for the second straight day.

The government will soon announce a revised effective date for the consolidated easing of restrictions in one go instead. The city state will keep to current measures in the meantime, according to the health ministry.