Government working towards Phase 3, but Singapore will remain in Dorscon Orange ‘for the time being’: Gan Kim Yong

SINGAPORE — While the governmental task force for Covid-19 is working on a roadmap towards Phase Three of reopening the economy, the country will not be changing the status of its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (Dorscon) “for the time being”, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Monday (Oct 5).

Singapore is now at Dorscon Orange in the colour-coded framework that charts the severity and spread of an infectious disease outbreak as well as the responses to the risks. Dorscon Orange means that the disease is deemed severe and spreads easily from person to person, but has not spread widely and is being contained.

The country is also in the second phase of reopening its economy after major activities came to a standstill in the earlier part of the year. 

Mr Gan was addressing parliamentary questions on whether Singapore would be easing its Covid-19 safety measures.

He said “Even as we move towards Phase Three, the new normal will be different from what we were used to in the pre-Covid days.”

He added that the task force will give more details on its Phase Three roadmap in the coming weeks.

On whether the Government will review the Dorscon status, Mr Gan said that the Dorscon level is “not just determined by the number of cases alone”.

“At this moment, particularly, we have to be very mindful that while the number of cases in Singapore is low, the cases around us, other parts of the world, are still rising. So, we cannot let our guard down.

“I would continue to maintain Dorscon Orange for the time being, until we are quite confident that the global situation is under control,” he explained.

Singapore raised its Dorscon level from Yellow to Orange in early February, as several cases with no known sources of infection and without travel history to mainland China emerged. 

'CAREFULLY CALIBRATED APPROACH'

Mr Gan said that Singapore has learnt “very important lessons” from other countries in easing Covid-19 precautionary measures and that doing so “prematurely or too hastily” could cause cases to rise again, resulting in partial re-imposition of restrictions.

However, it is also “not sustainable” to maintain tight restrictions for a “prolonged period of time”, because it would “severely impact” the economy and lives, he acknowledged.

The Government has thus taken a “carefully calibrated approach in opening up our society and economy”, even as it works towards moving to the next anf final phase. Phase Three is expected to be where the country will remain until a vaccine for the disease is made available to the population.

Mr Gan said that this approach is complemented by "close monitoring, extensive testing and comprehensive contact tracing to keep the situation under control", as the Government balances the protection of lives and livelihoods.

He also said that the Government has made “significant moves” towards restoring economic and social activities, such as allowing more employees to return to their workplaces.

To keep workplaces “safe” and “minimise crowding” though, employees should continue to work from home for at least half their working time, and there should be no more than 50 per cent of staff members at the workplace at any one time, he said.

Work-related events, including conferences, seminars and meetings, are also allowed to resume, Mr Gan added, but with a 50-person cap.

In addition, the Government has now allowed up to 100 persons to attend key life events such as weddings and religious activities. However, they must be in multiple zones or time slots of at most 50 persons each.

Physical exercises classes have resumed, while cinemas and leisure attractions may now admit more people at any one time. Museums and libraries have also reopened, and the Government is piloting small-scale live performances as trials towards progressive resumption on a bigger scale.

LARGER GROUP SIZES CONSIDERED

Mr Gan said that the task force is “particularly concerned” about dining activities, where people remove their masks to eat but also talk at the same time, though it could consider allowing general group sizes larger than five.

“If all of us continue to work together and keep our guard up even as more activities resume, we will be able to keep the pandemic under control, and progress towards further opening up our economy and society steadily.” 

The authorities had started pilots of events and activities with a larger number of attendees, such as trade exhibitions and conferences. If the pilots show that they can “maintain effective precautions and safe distancing measures”, the Government could allow more large-scale events to proceed.

Overseas travel will further open up as well, in a “safe and calibrated manner”.

“As overseas travel restrictions are progressively eased and more activities resume, it has become even more critical that each of us play our part to exercise social responsibility and adhere to the safe management measures, in order to keep our family and friends safe as we progress towards Phase Three,” Mr Gan said. CNA

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