PM Lee Says Companies Which Draw Large Crowds Would Have To Wait Longer Before Opening Up
On Thursday (30 Apr) night, PM Lee delivered the May Day Rally speech virtually for the very first time, in light of the Covid-19 outbreak which has plagued most parts of the world.
During the rally, PM Lee touched on numerous topics, one of them – of course – being the ‘Circuit Breaker’ that we are in the midst of.
While community cases are showing signs of decreasing, PM Lee said during the rally that the process of easing measures must be done “cautiously” to prevent new spikes in Covid-19 cases.
PM Lee says companies that keep domestic economy going will open up first
In his speech, PM Lee says the easing of ‘Circuit Breaker’ measures and the restarting of our economy will not be a straightforward one.
Instead, the move has to be done in a cautious manner with safeguards in place.
This, according to PM Lee, would prevent new Covid-19 spikes from forming.
While companies providing essential services are still allowed to operate amid the Covid-19 outbreak, PM Lee said the rest of the economy would have to “open up step by step”.
Sectors vital for Singapore’s domestic economy would be given priority.
Others, which attract crowds, such as “entertainment outlets and large-scale sporting events”, would have to wait.
In spite of this, it is imperative that companies remain ready to operate when the situation permits.
For this to be possible, companies, workers, and the government have to work closely with one another.
Even though some workers will inevitably be laid off during this period, PM Lee said the government will do all they can for those affected,
We will not be able to save every job. But we will look after every worker.
Community cases down, but more work to be done
PM Lee also acknowledged the fact that community cases have decreased to just 10-15 daily.
Even though this is a significant drop from before, there remains much we need to do.
The cases in worker dormitories continue to be concerning, with several hundred new cases reported every day.
528 New Covid-19 Cases In S’pore On 30 Apr, Brings National Tally To 16,169
Thankfully, most of their conditions are mild, likely because thje patients are young.
Easing of measures must be done in a measured way
As much as we want our lives to resume normalcy, we also do not want our existing efforts combatting the outbreak to be in vain.
Therefore, the easing of existing measures must be done in a measured and progressive manner.
1 month of ‘Circuit Breaker’ is bad enough, let’s hope we don’t have to deal with many more of it months down the road.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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