Expect the National Day Parade (NDP) this year to be celebrated differently from the past, given the safe distancing measures to combat the coronavirus, said Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran.

In the strongest official hint yet, he said the annual celebration with a parade, mass display and fireworks will "quite possibly" adopt safe distancing.

While Singapore will celebrate the nation's birthday on Aug 9, "we should be prepared for different types of contingencies", he told Money FM 89.3 in an interview.

"How do we celebrate? I think it will be a function of the environment we are in at that time," he said. "We should keep ourselves open, nimble to different possibilities."

Mr Iswaran's comments come on the back of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) announcing last week that it was postponing its Police Day Parade and Show in June because of Covid-19.

SPF said community roadshows to celebrate 200 years of policing in Singapore, scheduled for June, were also cancelled.

They may be held in November or December.

While the way National Day will be celebrated may differ, what is key is that the spirit and sense of nationhood remain undiminished, said Mr Iswaran.

Recalling how the heavy rain, which poured on Singapore's first parade in 1966, failed to dampen the spirits of the marching contingents or animated spectators, Mr Iswaran called on Singaporeans to pull together.

"We are still a young nation and whatever the challenge, the key is rallying together," he said. "National Day is an important point at which we can come together as Singaporeans and look to the future."