No further relaxation of COVID-19 measures in Singapore as cases rise: Minister 

In an update on the COVID-19 situation in Singapore, Wong said there are no plans to loosen or tighten curbs at this stage as the country transitions to living with the disease.
Under Singapore's Circuit Breaker Policy, Singaporeans are advised to stay home as much as possible. (Photo | AP)
Under Singapore's Circuit Breaker Policy, Singaporeans are advised to stay home as much as possible. (Photo | AP)

SINGAPORE: Singapore will stay in the current preparatory stage of its reopening and will continue to rely on vaccination and testing to keep the COVID-19 situation under control, amid a recent spike in infections, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said on Friday.

In an update on the COVID-19 situation in Singapore, Wong said there are no plans to loosen or tighten curbs at this stage as the country transitions to living with the disease.

The multi-ministry task force tackling COVID-19, which Wong co-chairs, will tighten measures only as a "last resort", to keep the healthcare system from being overwhelmed, according to a report by The Straits Times.

It will also not loosen measures at this juncture, taking into account the time lag between the onset of infections and serious illness, said Wong at a virtual press conference alongside his co-chairmen, Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong and Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.

In total, there were 219 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore on Friday, bringing the country's total to 68,210.

Fifty-five people have died due to COVID-19 in the country.

Wong said the recent increase in the number of cases is not unexpected, since more people have been going out following the loosening of restrictions earlier.

But Singapore is also in a new phase, with a high level of vaccine coverage, he added.

As the Government continues to monitor the situation, it will also expand the nation's vaccination and testing regime.

In view of the more transmissible Delta variant, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will start administering booster COVID-19 shots to two groups of people - those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised, as well as those aged 60 and above, and residents of aged care facilities.

As the first batch of seniors aged 60 and above completed their second doses around March, they will be eligible for the third dose within this month (September).

More details on the implementation of the booster shot will be announced later, MOH said.

Ong said about 85 per cent of the population would have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by this month.

"We have already reached very high levels of vaccination - we are one of the foremost countries in terms of vaccination - we should now aspire to be a nation of testing, where testing becomes a way of life," the report Wong as saying.

Ong added, "This next phase of the journey depends critically on everyone's civic consciousness and social responsibility. So let's take care of ourselves and the people around us."

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com