Singapore must 'proceed cautiously' when easing circuit breaker: PM Lee

Singapore

AFTER the number of new Covid-19 cases comes down, Singapore can ease the circuit breaker measures and progressively restart the economy, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday evening.

But the process will not be a straightforward one, as the authorities will need to step up Covid-19 testing and speed up contact-tracing.

"We must proceed cautiously, with safeguards, so infections do not flare up again," he said in his annual May Day Message.

"The road to recovery will be long and hard. We should be under no illusion that all will be well the moment the circuit-breaker period ends or the number of infections comes down."

His speech came hours after the Health Ministry announced 528 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total to 16,169. It was the seventh straight day that …