A safe-distancing enforcement officer wearing a red armband watches over customers lining up to buy take-away food at a food court in Singapore on Saturday, April 18, 2020. The officers have been deployed throughout the Southeast Asian city-state to ensure people maintain distance from one another as it grapples with a spike in coronavirus cases. (AP Photo/YK Chan)
Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases, Singapore on Tuesday has extended partial lockdown by four weeks until June 1. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the decision has been taken to curb the spread of coronavirus infections in the city-state. The measures, which include the closures of most workplaces and schools, were initially set to run from April 7 until May 4.
Earlier today, the city-state reported 1,111 new cases to take its total to 9,125, the highest in Southeast Asia. Foreign workers staying in crowded dormitories account for nearly 80% of infections.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said most of the new cases were due to aggressive testing of workers in the dorms, including those who are asymptomatic. Lee said in a televised speech that the clusters in the dorms have remained largely contained but circuit-breaker measures, that shut down nonessential businesses and schools until May 4, will be prolonged till June 1 until infections ease.
Lee said the government would shut more workplaces so that only the most essential services will stay open. Lee said the “short-term pain” is crucial to stamp out the virus, and pledged to provide further help for businesses and workers.
(With inputs from agencies)
