SINGAPORE - Fewer people have been caught flouting safe distancing rules over the past week compared to the previous three weeks following the start of Singapore's circuit breaker measures.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday night (May 5), Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli gave a recap on the weekly numbers of those who have been taken to task for breaching the rules since they kicked in on April 7.

In the past week, about 500 people were caught breaching the safe distancing rules while 270 were fined for not wearing a mask outside their homes.

Mr Masagos noted that these numbers follow a downward trend.

In the first week in which safe distancing rules were enforced, there were 600 breaches.

This rose to more than 1,300 in the second week, before dropping by half in the third week.

The number of people fined for not wearing a mask outside their homes has also fallen by about 37 per cent in the past week when compared to the first week of the circuit breaker when about 430 people were fined.

Mr Masagos said: "Despite the challenges, the majority of us have prevailed. We have done our best to stay home and observe safe distancing. This has led to a decrease in the average daily number of new community cases.

"This is why we can resume some selected activities and services from (Tuesday), and more from May 12, with safeguards in place. However, we are still not out of the woods, and must continue to remain vigilant."

In his post, the minister also thanked the enforcement officers and ambassadors for their hard work. He said: "We have come this far together. Let us persevere to keep Singapore safe."