Singapore is still "one of the safest places" to be in during this pandemic: Dale Fisher

Experts are optimistic that Singapore can avoid a second wave of Covid-19 cases 𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬.

This is a conditional optimism, condition upon our responsible behaviour.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐨 𝐘𝐢𝐤 𝐘𝐢𝐧𝐠, dean of the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health said Singapore has a "very good chance" of keeping the number of community cases to 10 or 20 a day if everyone stick to the rules.

He also said that Singapore will likely be able to figure out the source of the resurgence and implement a "sectorial shutdown rather than another comprehensive lockdown like a circuit breaker".

Citing cases in Japan and South Korea that were linked to nightlife entertainment spots like clubs, he said Singapore could shut down places or activities that pose a higher risk.

As an example, he said the authorities could potentially order cinemas to shut again if clusters linked to cinema-goers emerge.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐨𝐢 𝐄𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐨𝐧𝐠, deputy director of Duke-NUS Medical School's emerging infectious diseases programme, said every measure, including Singapore's circuit breaker measures or the decision to shut down travel, has trade-offs.

"Sometimes, the medicine can be more painful than the disease. So we just have to calibrate that, and I think we can go out now but just don't overdo it."

Prof Ooi said it is important for people to appreciate that the situation is fluid and changes quickly, requiring control measures to keep apace.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫, a senior infectious diseases expert at the National University Hospital (NUH), said it is not just about the numbers.

He noted that in Melbourne, capital of the Australian state of Victoria, the number of cases declined because of lockdowns, but soon after they were lifted, many nursing homes, meat-packing plants and other places reported new cases.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬, 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝.

"It's very important just to keep people on track. When you start changing the community behaviours by loosening restrictions, that's when you take the risk," he said, adding that Singapore is still "one of the safest places" to be in during this pandemic.