Singapore warns of complacency while new virus infections surge
A TOP Singaporean official warned against complacency in the face of a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, saying the affluent island nation needs to impose longer-term changes to deal with a rapidly evolving epidemic.
Singapore, which is grappling with a likely economic slowdown, has seen a spike in new coronavirus infections, experiencing the largest single-day increase this month. The country must now prepare for a “new normal,” Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday.
The epidemic hit just as Singapore — a major trading center — is grappling with economic uncertainty from the US-China trade war. With 166 confirmed cases and counting, it’s considering further social distancing measures, including school closures and suspending public events and religious services. The minister said one way to deal with the challenge was eradicating misinformation, defending a controversial fake news law critics have said could be used to silence dissent. Last month, Facebook, Inc. said it was “deeply concerned” about how a government order to disable access to a page on its site could set a precedent for stifling free speech.
“We have to act swiftly and decisively to quell such things,” the minister said in defense of recent online-falsehoods legislation that makes it a criminal offense to post factual content in Singapore the government deems false. “In this particular instance of COVID-19, the need for such legislation and the need for such tools in order to be able to deal with online falsehoods quickly and efficiently and decisively I think has been manifestly demonstrated.”
Singapore’s discovered scores of new virus cases in just the past week, surpassing the growth of infections prior to March 6. Discharged patients no longer outpace newly discovered cases. Unlike other cities in the region like Hong Kong, Singapore has not yet closed schools despite the outbreak. Most offices are still open, and not many people are working from home.
Mr. Iswaran stopped short Wednesday of outlining specific measures, though officials said this week they’re considering school closures and reviewing large-scale events like the National Day parade to be held in August.
“We cannot be complacent because this is a very dynamic situation and we’re discovering new things every day in terms of the spread globally and in terms of the nature of the virus,” he said. Singapore will “get our population accustomed to the idea that some of the changes we are putting in place may in fact have to be in place for a longer period and maybe even on a more permanent basis.” —