Singapore's tech readiness gave it head start amid Covid-19 crisis, says minister

Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan speaking to The Straits Times in a video interview last Thursday. Singapore's decade-ago investments to bring fibre broadband links to every home have paid off as employees and students have had to work and learn from home to manage the spread of Covid-19.PHOTO: ST VIDEO

SINGAPORE, June 22 (The Straits Times/ANN) - Singapore's technology preparedness gave the Republic "a head start" in responding to acute needs when the Covid-19 pandemic erupted earlier this year, said Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan.

"We were starting, fortunately, from a position of strength and preparation," he said in an interview with The Straits Times.