Some Singaporeans must be rather confused.
Not too long ago, the authorities announced that we’re planning to live with COVID-19 as a recurring, controllable virus, much like the flu.
This means that as long as the vaccination rate is high, restrictions can ease, and life can slowly go back to normal.
But not too long after, we returned to Phase 2 (Heightened Alert), the monotonous and only slightly less irritating cousin of the Circuit Breaker.
Why the sudden change? One word: the KTV and Jurong Fishery Port clusters.
Reader: That’s like seven words
It was the sudden emergence of these two clusters that compelled the authorities to make a U-turn, and one minister is certain that they made the right choice.
Lawrence Wong is Convinced That Tightening COVID-19 Measures is the Right Call
Despite frustration about the reimposed restrictions, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong is “fully convinced” it was the right call.
Our COVID-19 situation would have been much worse otherwise, he said.
Several MPs had questioned why there wasn’t a clearer road map for our reopening, with the constant shifts disrupting businesses and causing uncertainty.
But as Minister Wong noted, the coronavirus situation is highly fluid and unpredictable.
“We don’t even know what will happen in the next few days, let alone in the next few weeks or months,” he said.
Remember early July? When our daily case numbers were below 10 and it seemed like our travel bubble with Hong Kong would finally go ahead?
Well, then came the KTV cluster.
Fine. No problem. We can still move ahead, the task force thought.
But when another cluster was discovered at the Jurong Fishery Port, that’s when the authorities hit the brakes on our reopening plans.
With infections spreading through markets and hawker centres, this cluster was much more serious, Mr Wong said.
A Difficult but Necessary Decision
Mr Wong said the decision to return to Phase 2 (HA) was a “difficult but necessary decision”, as our vaccination rate wasn’t high enough at the time.
He certainly knows how some Singaporeans feel about the reimposed measures, though.
“I know everyone is frustrated about the measures. The minute I announce something, I get it in my inbox already. I fully understand, but I hope members in this House understand too,” he said.
He warned that while the authorities are planning to ease more restrictions for vaccinated people in September, once our vaccination rate hits the 80% mark, tightened measures could once again be imposed if another large outbreak occurs, especially with a new variant.
To understand why a new variant would most likely emerge, watch this video to the end:
COVID-19 Situation Would Have Been Worse If Not For Restrictions
Mr Wong asserted that the current COVID-19 situation, where over 100 new community infections are reported every day, would have been worse if not for the restrictions.
He noted that the number of COVID-19 cases who are hospitalised and require oxygen or intensive care has also risen 3.5 times since early July.
The “outcomes” would have been far worse without Phase 2 (HA), he said.
200,000 seniors above 60, after all, have not been vaccinated.
“Are we prepared to live with an outcome where many of them fall sick and even succumb to the illness? Is that something we want to happen, to see happen in Singapore?” he said.
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Featured Image: YouTube (CNA)
