Will there be a Circuit Breaker 2? We check the past week cases prior to Circuit Breaker 1

Will there be Circuit Breaker 2?

With the continued discovery of new clusters and unlinked cases for the past 2 weeks since 29 Apr, Singapore residents are sitting on the edge of their seats. With double digits community cases reported on 29 Apr, 2 May, 3 May and 11 May, one has a sense of deja vu.

Since Singapore implemented new Covid19 restrictions to start on 8 May, the word circuit breaker has been on everyone lips. Would this new wave of local community cases lead to CB2?

The last CB was announced on 3 Apr 2020. Back then, the mood on the ground was gloomy, with scores of daily cases reported from the Dorms and community. During the week before 3 Apr, there was an average of 60 cases reported daily. While most of the cases were concentrated in dorms, there were a handful of the local community clusters along the way. 

The most significant number to watch was the unlink cases.

Here are the stats going into 3rd April 2020 announcement.

3 April: 16 unlinked cases

2 April: 15 unlinked cases

1 April: 25 unlinked cases

31 March: 18 unlinked cases

30 March: 14 unlinked cases

29 March: 10 unlinked cases

28 March: 14 unlinked cases

In addition, 2 deaths were reported during the week. One was on 2 Apr and the other was on 29 March

While the current situation may look bleak, compared to what happened a year ago, CB appears to be a pre-mature call. The number of unlink cases is only a handful on a daily basis. Additionally, there are no deaths reported. The situation is not as bad as some may have perceived. 

As such, we think CB2 would not be on the cards ... for now. 

Nonetheless, if the situation persists or worsen, we do anticipate additional measures to be taken. Some measures could include pausing enrichment classes or sports classes that have co-mingling of children from different schools. As for the travel bubble with HK, it looks increasingly improbable. 

In the meantime, we have to play our part to adhere to the new restrictions. Finding ways to circumvent it, such as dining at 2 tables of 5, would be detrimental to the spirit of the regulations. This is not the time to play smart alec but be wise in your actions. 

Stay safe.