Speaking in Parliament today, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong spoke about opening up the economy but he is unable to commit a date. The PAP minister said the June 1st date will be extended if the numbers are not brought down in the coming weeks.
Minister Gan Kim Yong said Singapore will first need to see near-zero cases for “over a period of time”:
“The Government will look at the number of community transmissions, the global situation as well as the safety of systems in place as it decides when to lift the circuit breaker measures. Community cases should ideally fall to zero or single-digits daily, with very low numbers of unlinked cases, not just for one day, but sustained over a period of time.”
Minister Gan Kim Yong said the CB measures cannot be lifted if the foreign worker infections are not brought down, which he said will take “a while longer”:
“There also needs to be a decrease in Covid-19 infections among migrant workers, which remains high. While we have been able to keep local community cases low despite a higher number of cases among migrant workers, it is equally important to reduce the migrant worker cases over time, though it will take a while longer.”
In regards to opening up the borders, Minister Gan Kim Yong is also unable to commit a date or any detail which country will get priority:
“For any reopening of our borders, we are likely to start small and selectively, and to continue to impose a mix of isolation and test requirements, to protect ourselves from new imported cases leading to community spread.”