As Singapore hits 30,000 coronavirus cases, circuit breaker takes its toll on residents
- Amid a three-phase strategy to reopen the economy, there are worries about making ends meet
- While Singapore has a clear recovery plan, experts say it can continue to draw lessons from other effective communicators, including New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern
Like many business owners, Tan had been eagerly awaiting news on when Singapore, which is approaching its eighth week of the so-called circuit breaker this weekend, would fully reopen its economy.
“We have no idea when we can resume teaching. If we can’t teach, we can’t make money, we can’t pay rent,” he said, adding that his monthly rent stood at S$15,000 (US$10,500). “Our studio will face a financial crisis after six months. There is no way we [can make] enough money for rental, not forgetting our other expenses such as staffing.”
Tan hopes the government will do more to help struggling businesses, even as officials have tapped into the country’s deep sovereign reserves for a S$63 billion stimulus package comprising measures including cash handouts and wage subsidies.
Finance minister Heng Swee Keat is slated to deliver an unprecedented fourth budget on Tuesday to help some trades that will remain closed in June.
