A hurried reopening of the country is certainly not desirable (Costs of a hurried reopening could outweigh benefits, Oct 4).

The question is what yardstick we should use to measure whether we are rushing into it or if we are being overly cautious.

Vaccination status, the number of intensive care unit beds occupied, and even death rates are documented as being within the Ministry of Health's own forecasts.

The one measure that the ministry has admitted is hard to get right is the higher-than-expected infection rates.

With 98 per cent of infected people having almost no symptoms, the multi-ministry task force chairmen are calling for people to remain calm if they contract Covid-19.

On the costs highlighted by the letter writer, I noticed he omitted mental health costs, which are severe after 1 ½ years of movement restrictions.

Some members of the public are growing tired of waiting for the reopening, as evidenced by the crowds I saw at foodcourts on Sunday.

Instead of calling for the public's patience, why not advocate that everyone live responsibly in an endemic situation, rather than rely on government regulations to curb the spread of the virus?

Lim Dyi Chang