The Big Story: S'pore govt has started review of first phase of Covid-19 response

Remote video URL

Catch the latest news reports on The Big Story, The Straits Times' weekday online news programme.

A review of the first phase of Singapore's response to the Covid-19 pandemic - from the start of the outbreak till August last year - is underway, said Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday (May 9).

The after-action review is intended as a broad-ranging exercise to put Singapore in better stead for the next pandemic, he told the House, adding that it will be overseen by former civil service head Peter Ho.

Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean had first announced plans to review the Government's Covid-19 response in July last year, in response to questions from Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh (Aljunied GRC).

Meanwhile, Singapore residents should not discard their TraceTogether token or delete the app just yet, as the country may need to step up contact tracing measures if the Covid-19 situation worsens, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.

"We are taking a cautious, 'step down but not dismantle' posture for our public health measures," he told Parliament on Monday.

Any decision to step up measures will depend on the severity of the virus situation, he added. This includes whether there is a new variant of concern, and if it is more severe or more infectious than Omicron.

Separately, the societal cost of enlisting women into National Service (NS), even for non-military roles, would far outweigh any benefits, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Monday.

Compulsory NS can be justified only if it serves a critical need of national security and defence, he said, adding there are "distinct pitfalls" if conscription is implemented for any other reason, whether it is for men or women.

Also in the headlines, full-time national servicemen and regulars will no longer need to surrender their civilian identity cards when enlisting.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.