Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke to unionists at the May Day Rally earlier today (1 May), saying that Singapore will have to tighten measures against Covid-19 promptly and where necessary, in order to curb the spread of Covid-19 and prevent new clusters forming.
If not Singapore will go into a second circuit breaker.
PM Lee said that he hopes Singaporeans will work together with the government against Covid019, and not let their guard down.
He also noted the new strains and mutations of the coronavirus emerging, and highlighted that Singapore’s Covid-19 situation can deteriorate very quickly.
He said:
“We are watching our own situation, and it can easily, quickly, turn bad again.”
“If we have to do another lockdown like last year’s circuit breaker, it would be a major setback for our people and for our economic recovery. Let’s not make it happen.”
PM Lee is speaking in the wake of a recent rise of community cases in the past week, as new waves of infections hit the world, stoked by new and more infectious strains of the coronavirus.
The surge in local cases resulted in the government tightening measures on gatherings, mall and travel, and etc
PM Lee added:
“The Government is doing everything we can to prevent these clusters from spreading in the community. And we will have to be agile and decisive in our response, to tighten measures promptly, when it’s necessary, to clamp down on the spread and to avoid going into a second circuit breaker.”
“I hope Singaporeans will work with us and not let down our guard.”
“It is not time to relax yet. This is a marathon. Let’s keep jogging. Let’s keep ourselves safe.”
“Don’t make the mistake which other countries have done, celebrate too early, relax too fast, let your guard down, cause another wave to come, very often worse than the first, and more nasty drastic measures become necessary.”
Images source: Lee Hsien Loong Facebook and Tan Tock Seng Hospital