• The Mandarin term “解封阶段” is a paraphrase of the English term “re-opening phase”.
• To combat COVID-19, the Singapore Government implemented circuit breaker measures from 7 April to 1 June 2020.
• Although the Government considered the need to restart social and economic activities as soon as possible, it decided to relax the circuit breaker measures in three phases to better control the rate of community transmission to prevent a second wave of the pandemic.
• The three phases of re-opening were: Safe Re-opening, Safe Transition, and Safe Nation.
• During the re-opening phase, people were allowed to go outdoors for activities but had to wear masks, maintain good personal hygiene, and reduce social interaction.
• Phase One (Safe Re-opening) lasted about two weeks from 2 June 2020. The authorities allowed some critical and low-risk economic activities to resume, and allowed students to return to schools in batches.
• Phase Two (Safe Transition) started on 19 June 2020, during which a safe distance of one metre between individuals had to be maintained, and dining-in at food and beverage establishments was allowed. Other social, cultural, religious, and commercial activities could resume, albeit with limits on group size.
• Phase Three (Safe Nation) began on 28 December 2020, with an increase in the group-size limit for social gatherings from five to eight persons, an increase in the capacity limits for public places, and an increase in the capacity limit for places of worship to 250 people. Nevertheless, the authorities constantly reminded Singaporeans to maintain vigilance to avoid a new wave of the pandemic.

As the nation entered the re-opening phase on 2 June, analysts generally believe that the worst is over. However, as international tourism has not recovered and the global economic outlook is pessimistic, the tourism sector may still shrink this year. (Lianhe Zaobao, 4/7/2020)