No changes to safe management measures in solidarity with healthcare workers

       The Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) had announced on 24 February that we will consolidate the changes to streamline our Safe Management Measures (SMMs) and implement them on a later date. This was given the extensive work involved in going through the detailed rules across different settings as well as the surge in cases.

2.     Over the past week, daily local case numbers have remained high. The number of cases currently hospitalised also remains high, and our healthcare workers are still under significant pressure. As such, although the measures are largely streamlining in nature and not expected to significantly increase transmission risk or affect our epidemic situation, we will hold back the streamlining of measures for a while more, in solidarity with our healthcare workers.

3.     Nevertheless, the weekly infection growth rate has dropped below one in the past two days, suggesting that our current epidemic wave might have peaked. We will continue to monitor the situation closely with the hope that the situation will soon enable the streamlining of measures to take effect and pave the way for further easing of measures thereafter.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH