Minister: S’pore Could Go to Phase 3 By 2020 If ‘All Stars Are Aligned’

April seemed like an age ago.

And that’s not an age most of us want to return to, considering that it was the start of the circuit breaker.

Right now, we’re on the way to that sweet Phase 3 so many of us have dreamed about.

In fact, that dream may become a fast reality before the year ends.

S’pore Could Enter Phase 3 Soon

Or, in the words of Minister for Education Lawrence Wong on 10 Nov, “if all the stars are aligned”.

Mr Wong made the following response at a recent multi-ministry task force press conference.

However, he also states that this is also depending on the efforts of every individual person.

To which he also mentions our new and ‘favourite’ TraceTogether app or tokens.

Which, if you’re not sure how to use it, you can easily learn from watching our video below.

Mr Wong also mentions that we still need to upkeep our current safe-distancing measures.

Anticipating a Rise Of Cases

So how’s Singapore been in terms of recent COVID-19 cases?

Well, as of yesterday, there have been a few but nothing too major.

Mr Wong, however, predicts that community cases my rise in Phase 3 due to more activities happening.

He says that should cases rise, it is key that large clusters do not form and rapidly spread the virus.

While one case may not cause a cluster problem, Mr Wong feels that the increased activity and events will inevitably see new cases and clusters.

Some of these may include:

• gatherings increasing to groups of eight
• capacity increase for larger gatherings (with potential mass testing)
• resuming travel

What is vital now, he says, is that testing capabilities improve and become more accessible to everyone.

Eagerly awaiting those Breathalyzer COVID-19 tests, by the way.

And of course, the continuous use and strengthening of TraceTogether and SafeEntry are included as well.

Mr Wong states that even in Phase 3, we should remain vigilant and responsible so we don’t need another circuit breaker.

You don’t need to tell any of us twice. 

Not A Smooth Phase For Everyone

So as long as we don’t mess things up too hard, we should be fine.

However, some places won’t even get a chance.

If you recall, a large number of nightlife areas are still not allowed to reopen when Phase 3 hits.

This includes bars, clubs, karaoke lounges and nightclubs.

The small good news? The large number does not mean all as it was also announced recently that some nightlife spots will reopen in the coming third phase.

Keep in mind that this is only for a small number of places and rules such as no alcohol past 10.30pm will still apply.

The stars might align for us, but they might not align for these businesses.