Singapore will start lifting coronavirus restrictions starting June 19. Small gatherings and reopening of restaurants and shops will now be allowed.
The health ministry of Singapore announced on Monday that Singapore will begin a major easing of its coronavirus restrictions.
The reopening will allow social gatherings of up to five people. Activities will resume from Friday after over two months of restrictions. However, social distancing requirements will still have to be observed.
Singapore recorded one of the highest infection rates in Asia. The coronavirus pandemic hit 40,000 patients in the city due to mass outbreaks in the dormitories of migrant workers. Meanwhile, schools and some businesses in Singapore resumed operations earlier this month.
The government mentioned the decline in the incidence of cases in migrant worker dormitories and assured the public that there were no new big clusters appearing.
Authorities confirmed the stability of cases outside the dormitories despite the increase in workplace activities.
“By limiting close contact among individuals while maintaining hygiene and safe management principles, we will be able to resume more activities without substantially raising the risk of new clusters of infections,” the health ministry said.
Concerns over a new wave of coronavirus cases persist as countries around the world reopen.
“We are fully cognizant of the fact that we may have new cases emerging as the community returns to many of the routines that they were accustomed to before the implementation of the circuit breaker measures,” the ministry’s director of medical services, Kenneth Mak, said during a media briefing.
Gyms, parks, malls, and beaches may be allowed to reopen. However, religious gatherings, theaters, bars, and large-scale events may not be able to resume activities.
The government announced that businesses should make working from home the default for all businesses.
Singapore's economy
Singapore reduced its 2020 economic forecasts for the third time after the contraction it recorded in the first quarter of the year, according to official data.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry reported that the Singapore economy may fall by between 4.0% and 7.0% this 2020.
According to the ministry, since revealing its last economic prediction in March, “the disruptions to economic activity in major economies around the world have been more severe than expected.”
The ministry pointed out that coronavirus lockdown measures that aim to curb the coronavirus disease damaged major economies in countries such as the US, Europe, and China. The ministry also said the damage will linger even after countries gradually reopen economies since more waves of infections could take place.
Online grocery shopping
To meet the increase in demand, Lazada hired full-time staff and part-timers.
″(RedMart’s) sales have increased about four times in this space and we hired about 500 staff here in Singapore over the course of a few weeks to be able to increase our capacity substantially,” Chang said.
