REMARKS BY PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG ON THE COVID-2019 

SITUATION ON 3 APRIL 2020

 

My fellow Singaporeans 

Good evening 

Update on current situation 

1. I last spoke to you on COVID-19 three weeks ago 

2. Since then, the number of new cases daily has begun to rise 

a. We used to see fewer than 10 new cases a day 

b. But in the last two weeks, despite our best efforts, we have routinely 

had more than 50 new cases daily 

3. Initially, many of the new cases were imported from overseas, mostly 

returning Singaporeans 

a. Then last week, we began to have more local cases  

b. Furthermore, despite our good contact tracing, for nearly half of 

these cases, we do not know where or from whom the person caught the 

virus 

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c. This suggests that there are more people out there who are infected, 

but who have not been identified. And they may be passing the virus 

unknowingly to others  

4. In the last few days, we have also discovered several clusters at foreign 

worker dormitories, and one at a nursing home 

a. These are very worrying, because large numbers of people live 

together in dormitories and nursing homes  

b. A single case can quickly lead to a large cluster  

c. Furthermore, nursing home patients are mostly old and frail, and 

very vulnerable to the virus 

Applying a circuit breaker 

5. As the situation developed over the past weeks, we have tightened our 

safe-distancing measures progressively 

a. Singaporeans have responded well, calmly and responsibly, and 

made adjustments in their daily lives 

b. By working together, we have kept the outbreak under control 

6. But looking at the trend, I am worried that unless we take further steps, 

things will gradually get worse, or another big cluster may push things over the 

edge 

a. I discussed this with the Multi-Ministry Task Force (MTF) 

b. We have decided that instead of tightening incrementally over the 

next few weeks, we should make a decisive move now, to pre-empt 

escalating infections  

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c. We will therefore impose significantly stricter measures. This is like a 

circuit breaker  

i. It will help reduce the risk of a big outbreak occurring 

ii. And it should also help to gradually bring our numbers down 

iii. This in turn will then allow us to relax some of the measures  

d. This circuit breaker will apply for one month, in the first instance 

e. The Task Force is holding a Press Conference immediately after I 

finish speaking to you, to explain the details  

f. But let me give you the key points  

7. First, we will close most workplaces, except for essential services and key 

economic sectors 

a. Food establishments, markets and supermarkets, clinics, hospitals, 

utilities, transport and key banking services will remain open. They are 

essential services 

b.  We also should not disrupt economic sectors that are strategic, or 

form part of a global supply chain  

c. People working in these industries can continue to go to work, with 

safe-distancing measures in place 

d. But most other work premises must close 

e. If the person can work from home, he should do so 

f. But others will not be able to, including foreign workers on 

construction sites and in shipyards  

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i. These workers live in dormitories, and we will make 

arrangements to look after them 

g. This will take effect from next Tuesday 

h. We have to ensure that most of our workforce stays at home and 

limit their physical interaction to as few people as possible 

8. Second, we will also move to full home-based learning in our schools and 

institutes of higher learning (IHLs) 

a. We started with one day of home-based learning this week 

i. This has gone smoothly, with teething issues being resolved 

b. MOE will work with the schools to implement full home-based 

learning starting next Wednesday 

c. All preschool and student care centres will also be closed, but will 

provide limited services for children of parents who have to continue 

working and are unable to make alternative care arrangements  

9.  Third, we will tighten our restrictions on movements and gatherings of 

people 

a. It boils down to three things  

i. First, stay at home, as much as possible 

ii. Second, avoid socialising with others beyond your own 

household 

(1) Gatherings should be confined to your household  

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(2) Avoid visiting even your extended families who are not 

staying with you, especially if they are elderly or vulnerable  

iii. Third, go out only to do essential things  

(1) For work, if you are in essential services or key economic 

sectors  

(2) To buy food at markets, or to take out from restaurants 

and hawker centres 

(3) Or to exercise in the neighbourhood park, keeping a safe 

distance from others  

b. The spirit of these measures is to get all of us to minimise physical 

contact 

i. If we don’t go out, if we avoid contact with others, then the 

virus won’t be able to spread 

ii. It is as simple as that 

10. I know this is very hard to do 

a. As a practical matter, in places like hawker centres and wet markets, 

it is difficult to practise safe-distancing, especially on the weekends when 

it is crowded 

i. It will help if we all adjust our habits 

ii. For example, do our marketing on weekdays instead of 

weekends to avoid the crowd 

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iii. We will also deploy more Safe-Distancing Ambassadors to 

encourage people more firmly not to crowd together, so please 

cooperate with them  

b. Safe distancing is also hard for a psychological and emotional reason: 

it goes very much against our human instincts 

i. It is in our nature to want to socialise, to be close to those we 

are talking to, to take comfort in the warmth and company of friends 

and family  

ii. I fully understand this 

c. But I hope you will also understand why we all have to take social 

distancing extremely seriously in this period  

i. This is the only effective way to slow the transmission of the 

virus, so that we gradually bring our numbers down 

ii. It is also the best way to keep our families safe, and particularly 

to protect our seniors from getting ill 

d. So please bear with the painful adjustments that we have make 

e. Each and every one of us can, and must do our part, to keep 

everyone in Singapore safe from COVID-19