It is astonishing that some businesses and people have not woken up to the gravity of the situation which Singapore faces in its encounter with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Despite a ban on nightlife establishments operating in their original form during the pandemic, some errant outlets have continued with activities discreetly despite the significantly higher risk of Covid-19 transmission that this poses. Last month, the police said 28 licensed and unlicensed public entertainment and nightlife outlets were found to have committed offences relating to liquor and public entertainment. Separately, four people who allegedly breached multiple safe management measures at a New Year's Eve gathering at Clarke Quay were charged in court yesterday. What is all the more worrying about such incidents is that they have taken place against the backdrop of warnings by the authorities that Singapore is likely to see a significant wave of coronavirus pandemic cases driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant.

As the Chinese New Year period approaches, it is essential for people to have a care, for themselves and for others, and to meet the challenge from Omicron. About 70 per cent of daily cases are now of that strain, which has become the dominant variant in place of Delta, and the proportion actually could be closer to 90 per cent. The Omicron peak may exceed that of Delta and hit 20,000 to 25,000 cases a day. What also cannot be discounted are the prospects of a significant proportion of the workforce coming down with the virus and causing disruptions to business activities. Those prospects, and the figures of infection underlying them, are alarming, although they should be kept in perspective.