Singaporeans must get used to a new normal: PM Lee
While the circuit breaker to limit the spread of the coronavirus here has worked, Singapore cannot revert to the previous state of affairs, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.
Commenting for the first time after the Government outlined plans for Singapore to ease out of circuit breaker measures on Tuesday, Mr Lee said in a Facebook post that people have to get used to a new normal.
He said the battle against Covid-19 is far from over. "That is why we are reopening in gradual phases, with (food and beverage) dine-ins allowed only after we are confident that community transmission will stay low.
"We have seen other countries that have opened up experiencing a resurgence of cases. All it takes is a single infected person to create a new cluster," he said.
Countries such as Germany, South Korea and China have had a degree of resurgence in virus cases after they lifted some lockdown measures.
Mr Lee added: "We cannot stay closed forever, so we have to get used to a new normal, adjusting our routines to live and work safely despite this global pandemic."
Singapore will embark on a month of "safe reopening" from June 2, when some businesses will be allowed to resume on-site operations and schools will gradually reopen. However, most retail stores will stay closed and there will be no dining in at restaurants.
Until a vaccine or treatment is found, people will not be able to return to what they were used to pre-coronavirus, the authorities have said.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
