PM Lee Hsien Loong to give update on COVID situation on Saturday noon

SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will address Singaporeans on the COVID-19 situation and the path to a new normal in the city-state in a broadcast on Saturday (9 October) at 12pm.

PM Lee made the announcement on his Facebook page on Friday.

He said, "Please carry on as per normal — there is no need to rush out to stock up on items or dine out!"

The broadcast can be watched on PM Lee's Facebook page as well as on Mediacorp channels.

His post comes amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in Singapore, with daily numbers rising to over 3,000 in the past few days.

Fatalities due to the coronavirus disease here have also gone up in the last two months, with over 80, out of a total 136, succumbing to the disease in September and October.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in Parliament on Monday while the government is ramping up healthcare capacity to handle up to 5,000 cases, it is already planning how to handle 10,000 infections.

Co-chair of the multi-ministry COVID-19 taskforce Lawrence Wong last Saturday said many people in Singapore will end up catching COVID-19, and there is no need to be fearful or embarrassed about it.

But the Finance Minister also said the current rise in COVID cases may not be "the last wave" in Singapore.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Health reported 3,483 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, bringing the country's total case count to 116,864.

Of them, 3,475 are local infections: 2,783 are in the community, while 692 are dormitory residents.

The remaining eight cases are imported.

To date, 83 per cent of Singapore's population have completed their full regimen, or received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 85 per cent have received at least one dose.

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