If you’re here just to know about the Circuit Breaker, then here’s one sentence that you probably have been dreading to hear in the last 14 days: the Circuit Breaker period will be extended until 1 June 2020.
So for all the places you’ve intended to visit on 5 May 2020?
Cross them all away.
Here’s what PM Lee said today, and it’s just as blues as the shirt he’s wearing.
Everything About PM Lee’s Speech in Blue Shirt You Need to Know
PM Lee started off with a weird smile that I thought was a good start—but like what my friends always said, I’m wrong.
Totally wrong.
He spoke about how the cases in migrant workers have spiked, and how the authorities would be tackling the issue.
First, there has been aggressive testing for migrant workers who reside in dormitories so as to find out who’s sick and who’s not, and to isolate and treat them accordingly.
Secondly, they’ve been split into two different groups: one who’s working in essential services and one who’s not. Those who are in essential services would be housed in accommodation that the authorities have been preparing, like army camps or vacated HDB flats.
He said that Singapore would take care of the migrant workers just like how Singapore takes care of its citizens.
Everything goody, eh?
No.
Then he moved on to the community cases—the one that we’ve all been keeping a tab on.
The numbers have been encouraging as there has been a reduction of local cases, and now, it has stayed flat.
For the Circuit Breaker measures, Singaporeans generally obey the rules, but there are still some hotspots, such as popular wet markets as people congregate there.
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So the authorities would be implementing tighter measures, and one of which is to close more workplaces and reduce the number of workers that keep essential services going.
Reader Bao: (sipping bubble tea) So bubble tea stalls still open?
That’s not confirmed yet.
So everything’s fine, right?
Why extend Circuit Breaker?
One word: hidden reservoir.
Reader Bao: That’s two words
You see, despite fewer local cases, the number of unlinked cases hasn’t dropped. This means that there is a “hidden reservoir” of cases in the community.
And that, unfortunately, is one of the reasons why the Circuit Breaker will be extended to 1 June 2020.
But what exactly is a “hidden reservoir”?
It means people who are infected and didn’t know about it, and they’re somehow not connected to any case.
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So yes, even with fewer local cases, it’s still CB.
How to Exit Circuit Breaker
To end off, PM Lee described how Circuit Breaker could be ended.
For a start, the Circuit Breaker wouldn’t just end all of a sudden; Singapore will open up incrementally, so that means measures would be lifted one by one, and not all at once.
Secondly, Singapore must be able to test for COVID-19 fastly.
He said that Singapore is already doing that “not only by procuring test kits and equipment from other countries, but also by developing and manufacturing our own test kits.”
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And thirdly, we need to use IT to make contact tracing easier and faster. We’ve already have the technology (TraceTogether), and now, what we need is for everyone to use it.
So now, the burning question we all have is…
Would McDonald’s still be open on 5 May 2020?