PM Lee: S’pore not ‘out of the woods’ yet in its COVID-19 journey, but beginning to see ‘encouraging signs’

Singapore — On Monday (Dec 13), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore was beginning to see “encouraging signs” in its Covid-19 journey, though it’s not out of the woods just yet.

Speaking at Jurong Spring Community Club during the launch of the S$130 million Community Development Councils (CDCs) voucher scheme, Mr Lee said that the recent surge in Covid-19 infections is subsiding.

“We have protected our healthcare system and kept fatalities low,” he said, adding that the country was now preparing for the Omicron variant.

A key strategy in Singapore’s fight against the virus is booster shots.

“We are not yet out of the woods, but we are confident that we can cope with Omicron, because with vaccinations and boosters, we are in a much stronger position today to deal with Covid-19,” said Mr Lee.

As a way to thank everyone for their “united and resilient” stand against the Covid-19 pandemic, a total of 1.3 million Singaporean households will each receive S$100 in the form of digital vouchers, which can be used at participating hawkers and heartland merchants.

“The vouchers are the government’s way of thanking all Singaporeans for your solidarity and support during this difficult period,” said Mr Lee on Facebook.

The financial scheme, which was a part of the Household Support Package announced in the 2021 Budget, aims to help households with daily expenses while supporting hawkers and merchants in the process as they too have been hit hard during the pandemic.

As this is the first time that vouchers will be given digitally through a link and corresponding QR code that can be shared among family members, assistance will be available at Community Centres or Clubs, selected Residents’ Committee and Residents’ Network Centres as well as through SG Digital community hubs.

More information on the CDC vouchers can be found here.

“We will learn from this experience so that the next time we have such a scheme; it will be even simpler and (more) convenient to use. In this way, Singaporeans and especially seniors can be assured that every eligible household can benefit from the CDC vouchers,” said Mr Lee. /TISG

Read related: All S’porean households to receive S$100 CDC vouchers digitally, can be used at hawkers and heartland merchants

All S’porean households to receive S$100 CDC vouchers digitally, can be used at hawkers and heartland merchants