Tough decisions are being taken - and some of these are affecting the economy - but National Development Minister Lawrence Wong feels that Singapore will just have to "manage it".
Right now, only one thing is paramount: the health and safety of Singaporeans.
But down the road, if everyone plays their part, some of the tough measures that have cramped life on the island as it battles the Covid-19 outbreak can be eased, said Mr Wong, in an exclusive interview with The Straits Times yesterday.
On the flip side, the number of unlinked cases going up could play the spoiler. Or a super-spreader event could unleash a nightmare scenario.
"Our basis of making decisions has to be, first and foremost, from a public health perspective, doing what is right and necessary", said Mr Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force battling the Covid-19 outbreak in Singapore.
"That, to me, is the key priority."
As the pandemic spreads locally and globally, Singapore has steadily ramped up its defences - from tougher border control and travel restrictions, to curbs on public gatherings, shutting down bars and entertainment outlets and encouraging people to work from home.
Mr Wong said: "There will be economic consequences from these public health measures, but I think that we will have to just manage it... Rather than worry too much about the economic impact and because of that, choose not to take certain important public health measures."
The Covid-19 pandemic is here for the long haul and life will not go back to normal any time soon. But some of these measures can be eased if each person does his or her part, he said.
Using the analogy of brakes that may be applied till the end of the year or even longer, Mr Wong said: "If the situation is managed well by then (end-April), we could lift our foot off the pedal slightly, but not completely."
But if the number of unlinked cases goes up, "we will have to apply more pressure on the brakes" with even tougher measures.
"We have to be mentally and psychologically prepared for this," said the minister, who has been working from home, together with more than 90 per cent of his ministry.
A total of 1,000 people have been infected, with more than 460 patients still in hospital here. Three have died.
Speaking of his experience since he was made co-chairman of the task force in January, Mr Wong said: "Every day, we are discussing, thinking through potential scenarios of how the virus can unfold and then developing new measures, adjusting and updating our measures."
The decisions often have to be made quickly, without the benefit of complete data in a rapidly evolving situation. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong co-chairs the task force with Mr Wong.
The Government knows that its decisions have an impact on people's lives and livelihoods.
But not implementing the public health measures does not mean that there will be zero economic impact, Mr Wong said.
As the virus spreads, people would stop travelling or going out, so the impact on the economy would still be there.
What he fears most, and the reason he does not "have peaceful sleep at night", is the prospect of one super-spreader event. He said: "You only need one event to be a super-spreader event that can cause a large uncontrollable outbreak and then it starts to accelerate.
"When it accelerates and it's out of control, it overwhelms your hospital system and then you start to see rising mortality rates, particularly amongst the more vulnerable groups."
His biggest concern now is the local unlinked cases. There are more than 100 of such cases.
This figure, he said, is more worrying than the "headline number" as it points to the virus spreading in the community.
"We do know that the virus continues to circulate within our own population," he said.
He said it is important to "get all Singaporeans to understand that every person is, in fact, on the front line. Every Singaporean can make a difference in slowing down the spread of the virus today".
Another worry is a new Covid-19 epicentre somewhere in the world. "We had a first wave of imported cases from China, and then a series of local cases," he said. "Now, we are dealing with a second wave of imported cases and a consequential wave of local cases as well."
If the virus epicentre moves to other parts of the world, there may be yet another wave of returning Singaporeans, bringing the virus back with them.
That would not be a problem if those who are sick isolate themselves. While most do, there are some who flout these measures, including the stay-home notice, which prevents people from leaving their homes for 14 days.
Mr Wong said: "When we see such breaches, we will not hesitate to prosecute them, and to use the full force of the law to go after them."
To people who have suggested a two-week lockdown to reset the country back to normalcy, he said there is no short-term fix. "It's just not going to happen."
