Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will address Singaporeans on the country's approach to tackling Covid-19 and keeping the virus in check, in a broadcast at 4pm today.
The number of new community cases has stabilised over the last two weeks, and tightened measures to keep Singaporeans safe are working, he said yesterday in a Facebook post announcing his speech.
"Thank you for staying home and complying with the guidelines," he said. "I intend to share with you how we plan to keep Covid-19 under control, while progressively opening up again. The solution: testing, contact tracing, and vaccinating, all faster, and more. Also: What will the new normal be like?"
PM Lee's post comes amid a spike in the number of coronavirus cases in recent weeks, which has since stabilised. The rise in cases saw Singapore impose its strictest curbs on social gatherings and public activities since last year's circuit breaker period.
Dining in at restaurants and hawker centres is no longer allowed and gatherings have to be limited to two people, among other measures in place under the current phase two (heightened alert).
Employers must also make working from home the default arrangement.
The restrictions, in place since May 16, are expected to be in force until at least June 13.
The current period of heightened alert was sparked by a growing number of infections that have been fuelled partly by more contagious variants of the coronavirus.
After recording few to no locally transmitted Covid-19 cases for months, Singapore saw infections start to rise in late April, with rapidly growing clusters emerging in places such as Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Changi Airport.
Yesterday, the Health Ministry reported 25 new Covid-19 cases, comprising 19 which were locally transmitted and six which were imported. Of the community cases, five are currently not linked to previous cases.
This takes Singapore's all-time total Covid-19 tally to 62,028.
The worsening of the Covid-19 situation came as Singapore was gearing up to open up its economy even more and host events such as the yearly Shangri-La Dialogue defence and security summit in June and the World Economic Forum in August. Both events have since been cancelled.
Singapore has also withdrawn as host of two AFC Cup group football games, and a travel bubble with Hong Kong has been postponed.
Last Friday, the Government announced an $800 million package of support measures to help companies and individuals tide over this period, including enhanced wage subsidies under the Jobs Support Scheme and rental relief for small companies and non-profit groups.
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Follow Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's speech and The Straits Times' live coverage at 4pm today on our website, Facebook page and YouTube page. PM Lee's speech will also be available on his Facebook page and Mediacorp channels.
Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who is co-chair of the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19 - which will also hold a press conference today - said on Friday that the recent restrictions have had an effect in controlling the spread of the virus, and he did not expect new restrictions to be introduced.
Over 2.1 million people in Singapore have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine so far, with over 1.6 million having had the full regimen of two doses.
PM Lee last gave a national broadcast on the Covid-19 situation last December, ahead of Singapore moving to phase three, and easing restrictions and capacity limits.
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2021-05-30 21:00:00Z
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