Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Friday that starting from April 7, schools and most workplaces across the country will close for one month in the light of the quickly spreading COVID-19 pandemic
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd April, 2020) Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Friday that starting from April 7, schools and most workplaces across the country will close for one month in the light of the quickly spreading COVID-19 pandemic.
The country's Health Ministry has so far confirmed over 1,000 coronavirus cases and five related fatalities. The announcement comes as the confirmed cases of local transmission and other infections in the country have risen in recent weeks. At the same time, Singapore successfully coped with coronavirus as it actively spread outside China and into the rest of Asia in February.
"We should make a decisive move now to preempt escalating infections. We will, therefore, impose significantly stricter measures. This is like a circuit breaker. It will help to reduce the risk of a big outbreak occurring. This circuit breaker will apply for one month," the prime minister said in a televised address to the nation broadcast on his Facebook account.
The official added that residents should stay at home and go out only if necessary, for instance, to go to work or a nearby shop. Markets, shops, hospitals and banks will continue to operate as usual. Beginning April 8, Singaporean students and schoolchildren will be transferred to distance learning, while kindergartens will close.
The prime minister also announced restrictions on movement and mass gatherings, as well as trips to visit relatives. Along with this, he urged the public to not purchase products beyond measure.
