Excitement, nerves as Singapore starts phased reopening from coronavirus circuit breaker

Pupils are returning to the classroom and some businesses are reopening as the circuit breaker is relaxed, and public transport is running more frequently

But those who can work from home are still expected to do so and nail salons, bars, cinemas, retail shops and gyms will have to wait until phase two

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School pupils wearing face masks stand for the national anthem before classes resumed at Yio Chu Kang Secondary School, as Singapore eased its coronavirus circuit breaker restrictions. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:30am, 2 Jun 2020Updated: 10:21pm, 2 Jun 2020

Heidi Tan, 13, is excited. The Secondary One student is eager to see her classmates after an eight-week hiatus that began when Singapore imposed its so called circuit breaker early in April to control the spread of the coronavirus.

“She’s looking forward to seeing friends in person and going back to teasing her classmates,” her mother, Michelle Tan, said.

This partial lockdown was relaxed on Tuesday as Singapore took its first steps to reopen, with pupils back in the classroom and 75 per cent of the economy resuming. Only graduating pupils can attend school every day, however. Others like Tan will rotate weekly between the classroom and continuing with home-based learning. Dental clinics, chiropractors and air conditioning servicing were among the businesses allowed to operate again.

Public transport also began running more frequently – during off-peak periods, trains arrive every five minutes compared to 10 minutes for the past few weeks. And the green and orange stickers plastered over alternate train and bus seats to enforce social distancing have been removed.

Hand sanitisers are distributed to students in class at Yio Chu Kang Secondary School in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

Commuters using the East-West line on Tuesday morning observed safe distancing by leaving alternate seats vacant. At the Raffles Place train station in downtown Singapore, the morning crowd was about 10 to 20 per cent larger than in recent weeks, according to a member of staff at a convenience store within the station.

“My morning crowd is coming back slowly,” she said as streams of office workers entered for their morning coffee fix.