Speaking to reporters at a press conference held at the information and communications propaganda ministry headquarters, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said that the Singapore government may lock down like Malaysia did:
“Singapore will not rule out a lockdown to tackle the growing threat of the coronavirus outbreak, but it is not an option currently on the cards. We have always said that we need to consider a whole range of measures and not rule anything out.”
According to Minister Lawrence Wong, the current situation is not serious enough. There are now 266 cases in Singapore, after 23 new cases reported yesterday.
The millionaire minister said he will close schools and workplaces before enacting a total lockdown that stops foreign arrivals and local departures:
“We could potentially do, for example… a major circuit breaker that doesn’t entail a lockdown, but entails school closures, workplace closures, and doing it on a temporary basis over a period of two to three weeks, just as the Malaysians have done.”
Only Minister Lawrence Wong alone was available for the press release last evening, while Health Minister Gan Kim Yong and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat were missing.