Singapore in 'stable' position but fight against Covid-19 continues: DPM Heng

Sharon See

Published Mon, Oct 5, 2020 · 06:04 AM

SINGAPORE is currently in a stable position in its fight against Covid-19, with the government focusing on four key areas as the country adapts to living with the virus, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said in Parliament on Monday.

The first prong is on vaccination. Mr Heng said Singapore is an early supporter of the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility, which accelerates the development and production of a potential vaccine, while ensuring equitable access.

Singapore is also looking to procure Covid-19 vaccines with a number of pharmaceutical companies, while supporting local efforts to develop and manufacture a vaccine, he said.

"We are working very actively to secure early access to safe and effective vaccines, if and when they become available," said Mr Heng in a ministerial statement.

The government has increased its polymerase chain reaction testing capacity and is close to its target of doing 40 laboratory tests a day, Mr Heng said.

In this second prong, Mr Heng said the government is also evaluating new testing technologies that are less invasive and can produce test results more quickly. This will help Singapore to resume more activities sooner, he said.

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The third prong is focused on contact tracing and the isolation of infected individuals. Mr Heng said Singapore's contact tracing teams are doing a sterling job with the help of digital tools like the TraceTogether app and tokens as well as the SafeEntry programme.

In the fourth prong of safe management, Mr Heng said Singaporeans must continue to adhere to these measures and do their part to facilitate contact tracing, as keeping community infections low is the key to reopening the economy safely.

He added that the Covid-19 multi-ministry task force is expected to release more details on the roadmap to Phase 3 in the coming weeks. This will include the expected timeline for moving to Phase 3, changes to current regulations on the size of group gatherings, and participation at mass events, he said.