PM Lee to address nation live at 4pm, May 31 on Covid-19 plans

Singapore

SINGAPORE Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will address the nation in a live broadcast on Monday to share more on how Singapore plans to keep Covid-19 under control while progressively opening up again.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Mr Lee wrote: "The solution: testing, contact tracing, and vaccinating, all faster, and more. Also: What will the new normal be like?"

He also thanked Singaporeans for staying home and complying with the guidelines, adding that the number of new community cases has stabilised over the last two weeks. This shows that tightened measures to keep Singaporeans safe are working, he said.

Mr Lee's speech will be live on his Facebook page and televised on Me-diaCorp channels at 4pm.

On Friday, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who also co-chairs Singapore's Covid-19 taskforce, told reporters that Singapore is already planning for a future where the coronavirus becomes endemic.

"We are indeed planning for a plausible scenario down the road where scientists around the world perhaps come to the conclusion that it's not going to be possible to eradicate this virus, it's never going to go away, and we then have to learn to live with it," Mr Wong said.

This could entail having precautions such as vaccinations followed by booster jabs and improved hygiene standards and ventilation systems.

Mr Wong's comments follow his announcement of a S$800 million package to support businesses that have been "significantly affected" by tightened Covid-19 restrictions imposed during Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) from May 16 to June 13.

The measures include 10-50 per cent wage support for locals at businesses that have had to suspend most, if not all, their activities during this period.

Qualifying tenants and hawkers will be getting rental support, while lower- to middle-income employees and self-employed persons who have lost income during the period may receive a one-off grant.