Urban plans, business practices will have to change: Lawrence Wong

Singapore

WITH Covid-19 transforming the way people live and work, Singapore's urban plans and building designs will need to change, and companies will have to find new, safer ways to deliver products and services, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong has said.

In his national broadcast on Tuesday, he said that Singapore needs to adapt to Covid-19 and learn to live with it over the long term.

In recent months, the pandemic has prompted a shift towards flexible work arrangements, such as working from home, staggered work hours and split team arrangements.

"Our urban plans will need to cater to these new demands," Mr Wong said in the broadcast, titled "Living with Covid-19".

"Office and building designs will also have to change, given what we now know about the risks of transmission in enclosed spaces."

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Ventilation and air filtering systems in buildings will thus need to be improved; features such as contactless fittings, automatic doors and hand-sanitiser and temperature-monitoring stations should also become the norm, he added.

"Companies will have to find new and safer ways to deliver their products and services," he said, adding that many companies are already making use of digital solutions.

Some will need to change their business practices to adapt to the new environment, said Mr Wong. He noted that wet market stall-holders and hawkers are increasingly tapping digital payments and online platforms to broaden their customer base.

Meanwhile, the construction industry will have to implement new safeguards at work sites and continue its push for automation and productivity to lower its dependence on migrant workers.

Mr Wong said local and foreign workers in the construction sector will be tested regularly, and living arrangements for migrant workers will need to be improved, with new dormitories designed to better guard against infection risks.

"These are significant changes, which will mean extra costs for the construction industry. For now, the government is bearing these costs through the Fortitude Budget. Beyond that, we will introduce other measures to cushion the impact, and to move the industry to new productivity levels," he said.

People's behaviour and mindsets will also be critical in adapting to Covid-19, which will include practising social responsibility by maintaining good personal hygiene and safe-distancing measures.

Such actions help to keep the virus at bay; but if people are lax in personal precautions, new cases and clusters will multiply quickly and we might end up in another circuit breaker, he said.

In his speech - the second of six national broadcasts by various Cabinet ministers over two weeks - Mr Wong also touched on Singapore's phased approach to re-open safely, adding that the government will continue to monitor the situation over the coming week.

"If conditions remain stable, we will be able to move into Phase 2 before the end of the month," he said. "We will then resume a broader range of activities, covering nearly the whole economy, and allow social interactions and family visits in small groups of not more than five people."

The Health Ministry reported another 218 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday.

Six of these patients - all work-pass holders - are community cases. The rest of the cases are work-permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories.

Singapore's total number of cases now stands at over 38,510.

As more activities are resumed over time, Mr Wong said the increased human contact could lead to more new cases - as has been the case in other countries that have emerged from lockdown.

The key is to keep community infection rates stable, he said, adding that Singapore can continue with progressive easing if it is able to do so.

"But if the number of cases rise sharply, we will have to slow down the opening up, and even tighten certain restrictions," he said.

During the two-month long circuit breaker, Singapore has enhanced its capacity and speed of contact tracing by expanding its contact tracing teams as well as using the SafeEntry system and TraceTogether app.

The government is also working on developing wearable Bluetooth devices.

Mr Wong also announced that Singapore is boosting its Covid-19 testing capacity sharply by procuring more test kits, expanding lab capacity, as well as recruiting and training more laboratory technicians to conduct swab tests.

In the coming months, Singapore is expected to be able to conduct 40,000 tests a day, up from the current 13,000 tests a day and about 2,000 tests a day in early April.

Aside from standard testing, Singapore is also using other means of detection, such as serology tests, which identify those who were previously infected but have since recovered, as well as testing waste water from manholes for viral fragments.

"Aggressive testing and contact tracing will improve our ability to control the spread of the virus,"he said. "They will help greatly in allowing business and life to resume progressively."

In the longer term, a vaccine is an important part of the solution, he went on to say, adding however that it may take a long time for any vaccine to be ready and available for mass distribution.

"If and when a vaccine becomes available, we will make sure that every Singaporean who needs it gets it, and at an affordable price," he said.

Where travel is concerned, Singapore is carefully easing travel restrictions and re-opening its borders through green-lane arrangements with certain countries, starting with essential travel for work.

"When conditions permit, we will extend green lanes to more countries, and to non-business travellers," said Mr Wong.

However, he cautioned that it will take a while before Singapore opens up for mass-market travel.

The first "green lane" has already been established with China; Singapore is in talks to have similar arrangements with countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia.