Back in September, authorities introduced tightened Covid-19 measures amidst a rising number of Covid-19 cases.
On Wednesday (20 Oct), the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that the Stabilisation Phase will be extended till 21 Nov, 4 days before they were to be lifted.
This is because more time is needed to stabilise our current situation due to continued pressures on our healthcare system, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said.
The restrictions will be reviewed again at the 2-week mark and adjusted accordingly.
On Wednesday (20 Oct), MOH updated that Singapore will extend the current Covid-19 restrictions.
Originally scheduled to last till 24 Oct, authorities decided to remain in the Stabilisation Phase in a bid to reduce the strain on our healthcare system.
This means the current restrictions such as 2-pax social gatherings will stay till 21 Nov, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
After 2 weeks, the restrictions will be reviewed and adjusted based on the Covid-19 situation at that time.
MOH thanked Singapore residents for their cooperation with the safe management measures (SMM) in the past month.
They added that this has helped moderate the rate of transmission.
Nonetheless, daily case numbers are still rising with an increasing number of vulnerable patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).
MOH says more time is necessary for the situation to stabilise to ultimately protect our healthcare system and workers.
According to CNA, about 89% of isolation beds and 67% of ICU beds in public hospitals are currently filled.
While hospitals are increasing capacity for Covid-19 patients, longer admission waiting times have still been observed.
In the meantime, MOH shared that non-urgent treatments have been reduced to alleviate the stress on hospital manpower and capacity. Private hospitals have also been rallied to help.
While the news might disappoint some who were looking forward to the measures being eased, it is a necessary move.
Nonetheless, not all is lost. Finance Minister Lawrence Wong had emphasised that this does not mean measures will stay static through the month, reported The Straits Times (ST).
Hopefully, with the stabilisation phase extended, Singapore will soon see the number of serious cases tapering down, easing the stress on our healthcare workers.
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Featured image by MS News.
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