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2020–21 Singapore circuit breaker measures

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2020 Singapore circuit breaker measures
Part of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
Marina Bay Sands and ArtScience Museum lit up with messages of hope
Controlled entry into Compass One
Empty shelves after panic buying at a FairPrice supermarket
Tables and seats cordoned off with tape
(clockwise from top)
Date7 April 2020 (2020-04-07) – 1 June 2020 (2020-06-01) (1 month, 3 weeks, and 4 days)
Location
Singapore
Caused byCOVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
GoalsContainment of the pandemic
Methods
  • Closure of all non-essential workplaces
  • Closure of all schools, preschools, education, enrichment and student care centres except for essential care
  • Closure and suspension of religious activities
  • Restrictions on movement and gatherings
  • Food establishments only allowed to offer takeaways, drive-thru and delivery services
  • Masks no longer discouraged, made compulsory on 14 April
  • Closure of some essential shops that were made non-essential from 21 April (some restrictions later lifted)
StatusLifted with a three-phased plan

The 2020 Singapore circuit breaker measures, abbreviated as CB, was a stay-at-home order and cordon sanitaire implemented as a preventive measure by the Government of Singapore in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country on 7 April 2020.

Officially, the CB was enforced by the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020, published on 7 April 2020.[1]

Chronology

Prelude (27 March)

On 24 March, the Multi-Ministry Task Force announced more stricter measures to combat the spread of COVID-19, after a huge spike in cases originating from returning Singaporeans in the community. These measures include the closure of entertainment venues, tuition and enrichment centres and places of worship. Malls, retail establishments and tourist attractions were required to reduce their crowd density in order to stay open. Gatherings of more than 10 people outside of work and school are prohibited.[2]

Initial measures (7 April)

On 3 April, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced a nationwide partial lockdown, known as a circuit breaker, to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Singapore. These measures came after an increase of unlinked cases over the preceding month, as well as the risk of a huge cluster of infections. All non-essential workplaces closed from 7 April, with essential workplaces remaining open. All schools transitioned to home-based learning from 8 April. All food establishments were only allowed to offer take-away, drive-thru and delivery of food. In addition, the wearing of masks by healthy individuals was no longer discouraged. These measures would initially lapse on 4 May.[3]

On 14 April, then-Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong made the wearing of masks compulsory when not at home with immediate effect, with fines and prosecution for offenders who refuse to do so.[4]

Tightened measures (21 April)

After discovering that the unknown number of cases was greater than expected, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on 21 April an extension of the circuit breaker to 1 June. Existing measures were also tightened until 4 May initially, including shrinking the list of essential services, such as closing all close-contact service providers such as hair salons, as well as restricting entry to certain hotspots like wet markets and some essential retail franchises going by the last digit of one's ID number.[5] Popular markets utilized an odd/even date entry restriction; ID ending with odd numbers are only allowed entry on odd dates of the month and ID ending with even numbers are only allowed entry on even dates on the month.[6] The Singapore franchise of McDonald's also shut all of its restaurants islandwide, as a response to a number of its employees being infected.[7]

Relaxed measures (2 May)

Some restrictions were relaxed progressively in stages to prepare for the end of the circuit breaker on 1 June. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shops and essential condo activities were allowed to reopen on 5 May, followed by businesses like home-based bakeries (HBBs), some food shops, barbers (only basic haircuts), manufacturing of confectionery, and laundry shops on 12 May. Schools resumed face-to-face lessons for smaller groups in graduating cohorts and those requiring urgent assistance on 19 May.[8][9] At the same time, the Ministry of Health (MOH) mandated the use of SafeEntry contact-tracing system at all businesses and services from 12 May, but does not include "transient" locations like the MRT or parks, although people are encouraged to scan to assist in contact-tracing efforts.[10] On 8 May, the MOH announced that all TCM shops are allowed to sell retail products again from 12 May, after receiving feedback from seniors that travelling to TCM medical halls was too far for them.[11]

Post-circuit breaker (reopening)

Three phases of planned reopening were announced on 19 May, namely "Safe Reopening" (phase 1), "Safe Transition" (phase 2) and finally "Safe Nation" (phase 3); the third phase will last until an effective treatment or vaccine is found to stop the spread of COVID-19, which was approved in December 2020. Phase 1 started on 2 June,[12] while Phase 2 started on 19 June.[13][14] Phase 3 started on 28 December with pre-conditions like the use of TraceTogether, compliance with safe management measures (SMMs), and adequate testing capacity. In addition, it was announced on 14 December 2020 that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for use in Singapore, with the first batch slated for around end of December 2020, and subsequent batches planned throughout 2021.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020". Singapore Statutes Online. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Coronavirus: All entertainment venues in Singapore to close, gatherings outside work and school limited to 10 people". Straits Times. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  3. ^ "PM Lee Hsien Loong on the COVID-19 situation in Singapore on 3 April 2020". PMO. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  4. ^ "COVID-19: Compulsory to wear mask when leaving the house, says Lawrence Wong". CNA. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. ^ "PM Lee Hsien Loong on the COVID-19 situation in Singapore on 21 April 2020". PMO. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Visits to popular markets to be restricted based on the last digit of your IC number". www.gov.sg. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  7. ^ "McDonald's Singapore suspends all restaurant operations, including delivery and takeaway until May 4". The Straits Times. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  8. ^ Wong, Lester; Kurohi, Rei (2 May 2020). "Tightened circuit breaker measures extended for another week; some activities allowed to resume from May 5". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  9. ^ Ho, Olivia (2 May 2020). "Coronavirus: Schools to bring back small groups of students from May 19, with focus on graduating cohort". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Easing the Tighter Circuit Breaker Measures, Preparing for Gradual Resumption of Activity After 1 June". MOH. 2 May 2020. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  11. ^ Wong, Kai Yi (8 May 2020). "Coronavirus: All TCM shops allowed to sell retail products from May 12". The Straits Times. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Ending circuit breaker: phased approach to resuming activities safely". www.gov.sg. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  13. ^ "Moving into Phase 2: What activities can resume". www.gov.sg. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  14. ^ "COVID-19: Phase 2 of reopening to start from Jun 19, social gatherings of up to five people allowed". CNA. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  15. ^ "MOH | News Highlights". www.moh.gov.sg. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
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