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1/ Let me tell you a story about how the Singapore government handled Covid-19.
2/ When cases and local transmission began to steadily rise, we had a strict, two-month-long, country-wide lockdown in the spring/summer, referred to as a "Circuit Breaker."
3/ The "Circuit Breaker" moniker served as a useful metaphor to emphasize that while this was an extreme communal sacrifice designed to "short circuit" a ballooning epidemic, it was one that was short-term (in the grand scheme of things) and that had a definite ending.
4/ When the "Circuit Breaker" was implemented, the Government was transparent and clear in its communication in the criteria and thresholds that had to be met to progress through the various "Phases" of lessening economic/movement restrictions.
5/ That transparency and objective criteria were critical because it gave us a clear sense of where we were at and exactly what it would take to get to where we wanted to be (out with friends, traveling, etc.)
6/ The two-month lockdown, together with (1) a national and strictly enforced mask mandate; (2) a comprehensive "track and trace" infrastructure; and (3) a careful and deliberate loosening of restrictions, has led us to where are today: a relatively "normal" life in a pandemic.
7/ I go to the gym every day. I dine in at restaurants with my wife and friends every weekend. We go out to malls and shop. Things here are, at least in comparison to the U.S., ostensibly on the path to "normalcy."
8/ Today was another turning point in Singapore's ongoing battle against Covid-19. The Prime Minister announced we'd be further loosening social distancing restrictions (entering "Phase Three") and that the first shipments of vaccines are arriving at the end of the month.
9/ SG has played the vaccine game perfectly by starting early, thinking long, & diversifying its portfolio to eliminate systemic risk - several vaccines were purchased in May via Advance Purchase Orders + a domestic vaccine was funded as insurance for disruptions to supply chains
10/ Every good gov't response to Covid-19 requires a lot of luck, and Singapore surely had that in spades. But, in the areas it could control, the Singapore government and people truly rose to the occasion. Bravo. We haven't won yet, but we can see the light at the end of tunnel.
