SINGAPORE - Singaporeans should remain vigilant in the country's fight against the Covid-19 outbreak and not be complacent, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Saturday (April 3).
"And we must never assume that we have seen the end of the pandemic, and that victory is in sight, or that we can relax and start letting our guard down," he said.
The minister was speaking at the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Singapore Sikh Education Foundation (SSEF) at the Singapore Khalsa Association, where he was the guest of honour.
His message comes a year after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed the nation to announce circuit breaker measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Mr Wong noted that Singapore has made good progress in bringing down the number of infections here since it exited the circuit breaker on June 2 last year.
"So let us not waste the sacrifices that all of us have made over this difficult period, by relaxing too early and letting our guard down too quickly," he said.
Separately, the National Parks Board (NParks) said in a statement on Saturday that it is stepping up patrols to manage crowds in Singapore's green spaces during the long Easter weekend.
"Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, NParks has seen a significant increase in visitorship in our green spaces," said the agency.
Crowds were spotted at the newly opened Rail Corridor between Hillview and King Albert Park on Friday, with some visitors saying the area was so packed that there was hardly any room for social distancing.
NParks also encouraged members of the public to visit its gardens, parks and nature reserves during off-peak hours.
The agency said: "NParks actively manages the ground situation by carrying out real time crowd monitoring and control at hot spots, and will close park areas temporarily when needed.
"Before heading down to our parks, please check the Safe Distance @ Parks portal for the latest updates on visitorship levels."
On Saturday, Mr Wong said the Covid-19 situation is "so unpredictable that you never know - we are just one infection away from yet another outbreak or another major cluster emerging".
He urged compliance with all safe distancing measures, and encouraged those who are medically eligible to get themselves vaccinated.
Inaugurated on Dec 30, 1990, the SSEF is a non-profit organisation that provides Punjabi language education for students in Singapore's mainstream schools.
Eight individuals, including SSEF chairman Gurdial Kaur, received long service awards on Saturday for their dedication to the organisation.
Tokens of appreciation were also presented to various recipients, such as donors, trustees and partner institutions of the SSEF.
