Easing of Covid-19 measures will bring Singapore almost all the way to how things were before, says PM Lee

PM Lee spotted a yoga group he had encountered last year. This time, however, the same group were not wearing masks. - PHOTO: LEE HSIEN LOONG/FACEBOOK via The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE, April 23 (The Straits Times/ANN): The large-scale easing of Covid-19 measures will bring Singapore almost to a place where it was before the pandemic hit the country in 2020, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday (April 23).

In a Facebook post the day after these changes were announced, he called on Singaporeans to continue to be socially responsible and take care of one another.

"These changes will bring us almost all the way to how things were before Covid-19. I trust that everyone will remain socially responsible - wearing masks when indoors, self-isolating if you feel unwell, and watching out for one another," PM Lee wrote.

The Ministry of Health announced on Friday that from next Tuesday, there will no longer be limits to group sizes or workplace capacities here.

Vaccination-differentiated safe management measures will also be removed for most settings, and the use of TraceTogether and SafeEntry will cease in most situations.

The Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (Dorscon) level, which indicates the current disease situation, will also be lowered from orange to yellow from Tuesday.

The country has been at Dorscon orange since Feb 7, 2020.

The scaling back of these safety measures, which PM Lee said Singapore is cheered by, comes as daily infection numbers continue to fall and have stabilised, giving the Government the confidence to proceed with further easing of community and travel measures.

In his post, PM Lee said that while he was on a walk at the Botanic Gardens last weekend, he spotted a yoga group he had encountered last year. Then, they were masked up practising their poses.

This time, however, the same group were not wearing masks. Masks became optional in outdoor settings from March 29.

"Impressed by their dedication keeping up their exercise routine despite the pandemic. With the easing of restrictions, it is a joy to breathe the fresh outdoor air again without a mask," PM Lee added. - The Straits Times/ANN