Coronavirus: Singapore economy could reopen quicker than planned if infections remain ‘low and stable’, minister says
- The phased reopening of the economy, set to begin on June 2, could be expedited if it appears the city state has the virus under control
- Also on Thursday, Singapore announced it was relaxing its criteria for discharging Covid-19 patients based on new scientific evidence
Phase one – which will see three-quarters of the economy, including hairdressers, chiropractors and physiotherapists reopening as residents are able to visit their parents’ and grandparents’ homes – was initially supposed to last four weeks, but National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said at a virtual press conference on Thursday that the process could be expedited if the infection rate remains “low and stable” for the first two weeks of the month.
“If all goes well, phase two can indeed proceed before the end of June,” said Wong, who also heads a multi-ministry task force into the coronavirus. This phase would see Singapore residents again able to dine-in at restaurants, visit gyms and shop at malls, though only in groups no bigger than five people – a number that might be increased if the virus appears to be under control.
Entertainment outlets such as bars and clubs and “higher risk activities” such as religious services and conferences, however, will not reopen until after consultation with the authorities on the implementation of safety measures. “We thought it would be useful to share with Singaporeans, to give everyone a clearer sense of what to expect over the coming weeks,” Wong said.
When asked if there was a specific number of infections that authorities would base their decision on, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said it was “not just a numbers game”. He said it would depend on a variety of indicators such as the nature of infection clusters, whether case numbers were stable or increasing quickly and if they were happening within high risk populations.