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Coronavirus pandemic
This Week in AsiaEconomics

Singapore turns a corner in Covid-19 fight but experts warn the battle is not over

  • Coronavirus infections in the city state have steadily declined and 99 per cent of its total cases have been reported as recovered
  • Authorities are easing more restrictions this week amid plans to allow for more inbound travel but at least one expert is calling for ‘eternal vigilance’

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Shoppers in Singapore’s Orchard Road district wearing masks. Photo: Reuters
Dewey SimandKok Xinghui
For the past two weeks, Singapore has consistently recorded two or fewer Covid-19 infections within its local community each day and for the past week, the average number of daily cases among foreign workers housed in mega-dormitories has fallen to below 20. This is a sharp dip compared with just five months ago, when the combined daily toll was as high as 1,426.

The latest official figures show that almost 99 per cent of close to 58,000 cases have been reported as recovered, with just 31 individuals remaining in hospitals and 275 with milder symptoms isolated at community facilities.

On Monday, Singapore reported 15 new cases, just two of which were considered community transmissions. Meanwhile, countries in Europe are battling with a resurgence of cases while Malaysia has imposed strict movement restrictions in some areas of Sabah state amid a growing outbreak.

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Health experts said the figures confirmed the downtrend Singapore authorities were expecting when they announced the further easing of restrictions last week to increase business activity.

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Singapore’s Covid-19 swab test robot helps reduce infection risk for health care workers

Singapore’s Covid-19 swab test robot helps reduce infection risk for health care workers

On Monday, the government started allowing more employees to return to their workplaces. Work-related events, such as conferences, seminars, and annual general meetings, were also allowed to resume, but the health ministry has made clear that strict rules should be observed, including a maximum capacity of 50 attendees at such events, with food and drinks served only if necessary.

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