Now, Singapore extends 'circuit breaker' coronavirus lockdown till June 1

Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday announced the extension of the lockdown till June 1.

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PM Lee in a televised address to the nation said that aim was to bring down the number of coronavirus cases in the community “decisively” and to ensure that "leakages" do not occur.

“To achieve these two objectives, we must all hunker down and press on with our tight circuit breaker measures,” PM Loong told the nation.

On Monday the country had recorded record daily jump of over 1,400 coronavirus cases alarming authorities.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country is over 8,000 with several thousand migrant workers who lived in dorms being affected. PM Loong had earlier warned the number of cases would rise as Singapore undertakes aggressive testing.

The prime minister added that tighter entry restrictions on “hotspots” will be imposed, including the wet markets.

“We will implement these tighter measures until May 4,” he said. 

“But we will not be able to completely lift the restrictions after that, and go back to business as usual," he added.

“We will, therefore, extend the circuit breaker for four more weeks beyond May 4, in other words until June 1. Then, provided we have brought the community numbers down, we can make further adjustments and consider easing some measures. This way, we can be more assured that we have made definite progress and consolidated our position," PM Loong asserted.