In his national televised speech yesterday (31 May), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that for years to come, Singapore should expect small outbreaks of Covid-19 from time to time as the coronavirus is expected to remain with us and become an endemic in the world.
PM Lee also explained why Singapore’s strategy towards Covid-19 had to be readjusted, and he described what life would be like once the pandemic is over.
“In this new normal, we will have to learn to carry on with our lives even with the virus in our midst.”
“Our aim must be to keep the community as a whole safe, while accepting that some people may get infected every now and then. Just as we do with the common flu or dengue fever, which we now manage through public health measures and personal precautions.”
“One day, this global pandemic will subside. But I do not expect Covid-19 to disappear.”
PM Lee then added that in a post pandemic world where Singapore has to live with Covid-19, we cannot completely close our borders because “we need food, essential supplies, workers, business and other travellers to keep on flowing. We must stay connected to the world, with effective safeguards and border restrictions to keep Singaporeans safe.”
He said that Singapore’s priority is to get through this pandemic and position ourselves strongly for the future.
He described the new world with Covid-19 not dominating our lives and the people mostly vaccinated and possibly taking booster shots each year.
Also, our borders will reopen safely and visitors will again come to Singapore.
Singaporeans will travel again to countries where the coronavirus is under control.
And although we are some ways off from that, we are heading in the right direction.
Image source: Lee Hsien Loong Facebook