A Timeline of Events That Led to the Circuit Breaker
Since the spread of the Covid-19 virus within our local community, Singapore has taken precautionary steps to prevent further spread of the virus. But how effective has these measures been? Here is a summarized timeline of key events to note from the start of the Covid-19 in Singapore and how we went from “not locking down” to a circuit breaker within 2 months.
Source: Afternoon Voice
7th February: Singapore at DORSCON Orange risk assessment
The last time Singapore moved to a DORSCON Orange in risk assessment was when we battled the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. In the current covid-19 pandemic, we recorded 30 confirmed cases of the virus as of 7th February with 1 being an unlinked case, signifying a potential community spread. This was a significant move as it saw disruptions to our daily life and added precautionary measures such as temperature screenings and visitor restrictions at hospitals.
8th February: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s first address to the nation
In his address, he reassured the nation that there will be no lockdown at the moment and there is no need to panic-buy and hoard essential items as this was a common sight at supermarkets. He also noted that a different approach may have to be taken if the situation gets worse as hospitals will be overwhelmed. There is a need to protect the vulnerable which includes the young, the elderly, and those with chronic health conditions. Event organisers were discouraged from hosting large-scale events which saw the cancellation of significant events such as iLight in Singapore. Places of religious interest were also strongly advised to have in place precautionary measures such as temperature screening and to suspend non-essential programs. The Ministry of Health (MOH) will continue to put up advisories to update on the current situation.
10th March: The introduction of a circuit breaker measure
Since PM Lee’s speech on 8th February, the number of social gatherings has remained high within the community with a few “socially irresponsible” individuals that contributed to the spread of the virus. At this point, SAFRA Jurong was identified as a cluster due to one of the attendees who attended a private dinner event despite feeling unwell and risked a possible chain infection of 18 other people. Since then, social gathering activities for the elderly have been suspended and the government is further looking at other measures such as school closures, telecommuting and safe distancing measures that can be implemented at the right time throughout the pandemic. These measures will be known as circuit breakers in hopes of breaking the chain of infection within the community.
12th March: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s second address to the nation
In his second address, PM Lee reassured the nation that the situation is under control and there will not be a lockdown. However, there will be additional measures introduced such as the suspension of schools, and implementation of telecommuting as a form of extra “brakes” to curb the spread of the virus. The goal was to limit the gathering of large crowds in a close proximity over a prolonged period and MOH subsequently announced the cancellation of all events exceeding a participant headcount of 250.
20th March: The new wave of imported cases
The recorded cases as of 20th March ranged from 30-40 per day and many of which were imported cases consisting of returning citizens, PRs and pass holders. The government strongly discouraged all forms of travel and individuals who insisted on travelling will be faced with a two-week Stay-Home Notice upon returning. Companies were strongly advised to implement work from home measures and to telecommute as much as possible. Safe distancing measures were further tightened where retail and food outlets were to ensure that diners or shoppers were spaced at least one meter apart from each other.
21st March: First two deaths
On 21st March, Singapore saw our first 2 Covid-19 deaths. Minister Gan Kim Yong encouraged Singaporeans to stay courageous and take the safe distancing measures seriously. Foreign domestic workers were advised to remain at home on their rest days and should only gather at less crowded places should they wish to spend the day out.
24th March: Entertainment venues to be shut down and gatherings should not exceed 10
On 24th March, MOH announced that all entertainment outlets and tuition centres are to be shut down and all religious and large-scale events to be suspended. All gatherings should not exceed 10 people including funerals and weddings and firms were required by law to implement telecommuting where possible. The ministry advised Singaporeans to stay at home as much as possible and to reduce non-essential travel and activities for the next month.
31st March: Increase in local transmission
Singapore saw a decrease in imported cases and a further increase in local unlinked cases which indicated further community spread.
3rd April: Circuit Breaker
PM Lee addressed the nation for the third time announcing a “circuit breaker” seeing that the number of local cases were rising exponentially. Non-essential businesses were ordered to be close and places serving food were only allowed to do takeaway or delivery. Schools have shifted to full-time Home-Based Learning and all religious places are to be closed. Gatherings were now disallowed regardless of number and the government reiterated the importance of staying home for the next month until the 4th of May.
5th April: Spike in cases and new hotspots identified
As of the 5th of April, Singapore continued to experience a surge in cases and new clusters were identified such as the foreign worker dormitories. The current largest cluster is the S11 Dormitory at Punggol. On the 9th of April, Singapore saw our highest recorded number of cases in a day – 287 cases with 200 coming from the foreign worker dormitories.
As we are now in the midst of the Circuit Breaker, it is important that we take the safe-distancing measures safely to prevent further spread of the virus and risking the extension of the Circuit Breaker.
