Singapore's psyche must be prepared for living life with Covid-19

WITH vaccination coverage on track to reach targets, severe case numbers holding steady, and new daily cases on a downward trend, Singapore's Covid-19 situation appears to have stabilised for now - hopefully enough to allow for the further easing of measures on Aug 19, as planned.

The country's handling of the virus has involved a careful balancing act to protect both "lives and livelihoods", as the now-familiar framing goes. Yet while continuing to keep the pandemic's medical and economic costs under control, attention should be paid to less obviously quantifiable costs too.

In some other places, efforts are understandably concentrated on grappling with the healthcare crisis sparked by waves of infections. Here, strict measures and a largely responsible, cooperative public have afforded Singapore the breathing room to look beyond immediate imperatives and consider less tangible risks, even while keeping a close eye on medical outcomes and economic recovery.