By Philip Heijmans and Faris Mokhtar, Bloomberg
Singapore is on track to lift more restrictions on companies and residents by the end of June, and expects practically the entire economy to reopen in that phase, according to a top minister.
“With the start of phase two, we expect virtually the entire economy to be reopened -- shops, F&B, dining, social interactions, but there will be limits on the number of people who can get together.” Lawrence Wong, minister for national development, told Bloomberg TV’s Haslinda Amin on Friday.
Singapore is two weeks into the first of a three-phased easing of lockdown measures, that were put in place in early April. After being praised by international health experts for its initial response to the virus in the early months of the pandemic, the city-state -- like many countries -- was blindsided by how contagious Covid-19 is. An outbreak among migrant workers living in crammed dormitories saw Singapore become one of the most infected countries in Asia, with nearly 40,000 recorded total coronavirus cases as of Friday.
Wong, who also co-chairs the government taskforce on fighting the virus, said the country has managed to bring coronavirus infections in the city-state “under control” through aggressive testing and strict measures that were imposed on social distancing. With adequate healthcare and quarantine capacity, there is more room to allow additional long-term work pass holders to return to the country, he said.
Just under 0.6% of total cases in Singapore are ill in hospitals while 25 people have died and only two people are in intensive care as of Thursday. The Southeast Asian nation reported on Friday the most community virus cases since a partial re-opening at the start of this month.
Long-term Work Pass Holders
Many expatriates who are employment pass holders have found themselves stuck outside the city-state, with Singapore imposing border restrictions and only just introducing fast lane arrangements for business and official travelers with China. As of end December last year, Singapore had more than 190,000 work pass holders, comprising foreign professionals, managers and executives who earn at least S$3,900 ($2,800) a month.
“We have ramped up our testing capacity, and we also have more rooms available for quarantine,” according to Wong. “With all of that in place, we do think there is scope for us to be able to allow more long term pass holders -- work pass holders who have deep roots in Singapore -- to return over a period of time.”
While it is unclear how many such workers are stranded outside the city-state, dedicated groups have emerged on social media that are closely monitoring changes to travel rules with hopes of returning soon.
Restarting Economy
Even as the economy restarts with schools and more workplaces gradually reopening, Wong said Singaporeans will have to “be prepared for major changes” in social norms for everything from social distancing to hygiene, work-life and entertainment. Meanwhile, mass market travel for tourism is still likely to take some time to resume, he said.
Under the second phase of the re-opening, more businesses such as retail outlets and gyms are expected to resume operations. Households may be able to receive up to five visitors per day while dining at hawker centers and restaurants could also reopen, with tables to be kept at least one meter apart and limited to no more than five persons.
Already, the lockdown measures both in Singapore and around the world have exerted a heavy toll on the trade-reliant economy. The government is now forecasting a full-year economic contraction of as much as 7%, which would mark the worst downturn for the country since its independence.
Singapore has announced four separate stimulus packages, taking the nation’s total coronavirus relief to S$92.9 billion, or 19.2% of gross domestic product, as it rolls out support for households and companies that include cash handouts, wage subsidies, rental rebates and tax waivers.
Contact Tracing Token
Later this month, Singapore will give out the first batch of portable contact tracing devices to people as the country looks to improve on its ability to monitor the spread of the virus, Wong said. There aren’t any current plans for the device to be mandatory for now, although it is set to be distributed to everyone in the country.
“We will try to start by persuading and explaining to the population why these tools are important,” said Wong. “I think that’s a very important mindset that we want to inculcate rather than to do everything through mandatory rules.”