Minister of Health Ong Ye Kung said in parliament earlier today (10 January) that Singapore over-liberalise and remove all social restrictions, let infections rise, and leave the healthcare system to beat the consequences.
He says Singapore has sized its emergency healthcare capacity on what is “sustainable and practical and said that the capacity needed cannot be provided within the country’s usual redundancy provision.
He highlighted that ICU-trained staff do not just increase overnight or even over a few months.
On the other end of the spectrum, Singapore also cannot afford to go for a zero-Covid strategy and lock down our borders and society which will bring about tremendous suffering to the people.
Ong added that vaccinations, expansion of health care capacity, and the Safe Management Measures have to work in tandem and a balance must be struck and that how the three factors balance off each other is a matter of judgment depending on the situation.
“It will be too rigid to set metrics and parameters to trigger social restrictions, as we need to respond flexibly and appropriately to the twists and turns that the pandemic situation may take.”