20 words & phrases that defined 2020: Safe distancing

2020 has been a year of upheaval and crisis – one that was shaped by the coronavirus pandemic. It also saw significant developments, such as a general election in Singapore and the United States electing its next leader. In this 12-day series, The Straits Times spotlights 20 words or phrases that defined 2020.

People attend a free movie screening at Our Tampines Hub in September 2020 with safe-distancing in practice. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
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SINGAPORE - When bloggers "mrbrown" Lee Kin Mun and Benjamin "Mr Miyagi" Lee joined forces in March for a virtual duet titled "10 people, one metre, one Singapore", they probably never imagined it would presage a near-defining metric of everyday life in the nation for the rest of 2020.

Their comedic take on the classic 1990 National Day song riffed on the initial limit of 10 people for social gatherings, which later dropped to five. It will go up to eight on Dec 28 as Singapore enters phase three of its reopening.

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