Safeguards, vaccines key to Covid-19 fight
With community cases rising, rules may be tightened ahead of Chinese New Year
The battle against Covid-19 this year will be fought on two fronts: speeding up the nationwide vaccination programme and keeping the slate of safeguards finely tuned.
This could mean implementing further restrictions ahead of Chinese New Year next month, when more social interaction is expected to take place, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force tackling the pandemic.
He pointed out that the number of Covid-19 community cases has been inching up, roughly two weeks after the year-end festive period.
"We are concerned that if we continue in the same sort of situation, (if) we don't do something more, then this continued creep in the cases may end up in new clusters emerging that may be beyond our control later," said Mr Wong.
"So, we are considering very carefully now whether additional measures may be necessary."
He added: "Exactly what these are - whether they pertain to house visitations, what kind of measures - we are still studying. And when we are ready, we will highlight them."
Mr Wong and task force co-chair, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, were addressing reporters on Tuesday in an interview to mark one year of Covid-19 in Singapore.
The 90-minute interview covered topics ranging from the challenges faced over the past 12 months to the prospects ahead.
The country's response to the crisis reflected the resilience of its society, Mr Gan said, adding: "When the challenges come our way, we are able to come together, look after one another, support one another and to emerge stronger at the end of the crisis."
Mr Wong said that in many ways, Singapore is in a stronger position to tackle the virus than it was before.
It now has better healthcare capabilities, improved testing and tracing capabilities and is rolling out vaccinations.
On the other hand, the situation remains highly unpredictable because the virus is still spreading in the wider world, he added.
The number of community cases is going up, and there is a sense of fatigue with all the rules in place.
Both ministers stressed that Singapore must remain vigilant, even though the end is in sight with the vaccination programme well under way.
If all goes according to plan, Singapore will have enough vaccines for all citizens and long-term residents by the third quarter of this year.
"But between now and the third quarter of this year, there are many months, and many things can happen during this period," Mr Wong said.
"So, let's stay alert, let's stay vigilant, let's rally together and complete our mission to defeat Covid-19 together."
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