Singapore President Halimah Yacob gave her support to the drawing of $6 billion from the country’s past reserves for public health spending in 2022, saying that the Covid-19 battle is not over.
Here is her statement
The world has come a long way in our battle against COVID-19. Many countries have introduced iterations of measures to counter the COVID-19 variants. Some, like Sweden and Denmark, have recently declared the pandemic as over.
In Singapore, we are calibrating our re-opening in a phased approach. There is still much uncertainty in how the situation will evolve, so we need to balance the impact of our decisions on public health and our economy.
I am heartened to see Singaporeans and businesses adapting to this new normal. More people are now able to resume their daily activities. Our parks and neighbourhoods are bustling with people and activities, going about with their lives in a socially responsible and safe manner.
This is possible because we have attained a high vaccination rate, and with the people’s support for the measures.
Last month, Health Minister Mr Ong Ye Kung, Trade and Industry Minister Mr Gan Kim Yong, Finance Minister Mr Lawrence Wong and their officials came to brief me and the Council of Presidential Advisers on our public health situation, economy and Budget 2022.
We had a good discussion around the capabilities and strategies for Singapore to ride the COVID-19 wave safely.
I have given my in-principle support for the Government to draw $6.0 billion from Past Reserves for COVID-19 public health spending in FY2022. The COVID-19 battle is not over.
Public health spending remains a priority in our efforts for Singapore to continue to re-open and recover. We must avoid major sacrifices in lives and businesses.
While the outlook is still uncertain, I am confident that if Singaporeans continue to stay united and brave the fight against COVID-19, we will emerge stronger and ready for future challenges.