Every person needs to take latest measures very seriously: Minister

Singapore residents have to stay home and go out only for essential activities such as buying food, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, as the country saw a record 120 new coronavirus cases yesterday.

He stressed the need for every person to take the latest safe distancing measures very seriously and to make individual sacrifices, adding that routines such as going out to meet friends "cannot be tolerated any more".

The Government had announced last Friday that most workplaces will be shut down and dining in will not be allowed at food establishments for a month from tomorrow, as part of a set of "circuit breaker" measures to stem the spike in Covid-19 cases in the community.

Said Mr Wong: "For individuals, the rules are very clear. You stay home, do not go out. Go out only for essential activities which will include work that is considered essential or buying food and groceries, or if you were to do an individual exercise or with your immediate family members. These are allowed. Other than that, you have to stay home."

Businesses that do not offer essential services or are not in key economic sectors have to implement telecommuting fully or stop work altogether, he added.

"There are no two ways about this. It is straightforward," said Mr Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19.

He noted that there is still some confusion surrounding which businesses are allowed to stay open, and said these questions will be addressed. An estimated 75 per cent of workers will either work from home or stop working for the duration of the measures until May 4.

Of the 120 new cases announced yesterday, 116 were local ones. The number of new imported cases - four yesterday - has steadily declined.

"If we all do our part, if we all work together, we have a chance of controlling the spread of the virus, and together we will be able to protect ourselves, our family members and save lives," said Mr Wong.

When asked about the morale of healthcare workers, he said the surest way to sap their morale was for people to disregard the measures. "(Front-line workers) will be completely demoralised that they are working so hard and yet there are groups out there still gathering - completely undermining all that we are doing to overcome the virus."

Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, director of medical services at the Ministry of Health (MOH), said Singapore will continue with contact tracing as the number of cases go up exponentially. The police and the Singapore Armed Forces have been roped in to reinforce the MOH contact tracing team.

Prof Mak said it is important to continue doing so, as the authorities still believe that isolating close contacts will help prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

On what Singapore's stricter measures signal to other countries about the severity of Covid-19, Mr Wong said the message is that there is no scope for complacency.

Responding to a question on how the spike in local coronavirus cases would affect the timing and plans for the next general election, Mr Wong said: "That's not a question that any one of us here can answer because our sole focus in the task force is to tackle Covid-19, and to control the spread of the virus."

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong urged Singapore residents to not wait till the latest measures kick in tomorrow to stay home and avoid meeting people. "Maximum distancing should start now," he said.

After the measures were announced last Friday, residents were out stocking up on groceries, toys, electronics and other items in preparation for the weeks ahead.

Long queues were seen outside Toys 'R' Us, Popular and Challenger outlets. Some took the chance yesterday to go out for a last hurrah at eateries and restaurants.

Associate Professor Alex Cook, vice-dean of research at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore, said: "As tempting as it may be to go out and have one last shop, I would encourage everyone to minimise their movements before the circuit breaker takes effect, or we'll end up with a big wave of infections at the weekend."