Singapore, Apr 7 (PTI) Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday said Singapore is now in a much better place to deal with the coronavirus - two years after virus restrictions were first enforced in the city-state - but it is still "far from being out of the woods" as its health sector faces a massive load.

In a Facebook post, Lee cautioned that Singapore's healthcare system was bearing a heavy load in terms of cases and healthcare workers were pressing on tirelessly.

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"However, we are far from being out of the woods," he said.

"As we adjust to the new normal, do continue exercising social and personal responsibility, such as by testing ourselves if we feel unwell, and abiding by prevailing safe management measures. Let's continue marching forward to get through this pandemic together," he wrote.

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The Prime Minister recounted that Singapore made the "difficult and drastic decision" to enter the circuit breaker on April 7, 2020, after being faced with a surge in unlinked COVID-19 cases.

At the time, schools and workplaces were shut down and dining at eateries was not allowed. Work from home became the default for the first time here, and people could only leave their homes for essential purposes, such as to buy food or to exercise.

"Shops and businesses were closed, many employees shifted to working remotely, while schools implemented full home-based learning. Our streets fell silent. It was a time of disruptive change. Major sectors ground to a halt, and our economy took a hit," wrote Lee on Thursday.

But he noted that during this difficult time, Singaporeans remained united and resilient.

"Neighbours brought food and groceries to those unable to do so themselves. Volunteers organised themselves to help the vulnerable. The Government rolled out comprehensive financial support measures to save livelihoods and businesses. Meanwhile, healthcare and essential workers bore the brunt of the load, to keep our society functioning," said Lee.

He added that today, most people here are vaccinated and even got booster shots, and many have caught the virus and recovered from the infection, raising the immunity of the population. Safe management measures have also been established and can be dialled up or down as needed.

"As a society, we are also acting safely and responsibly. Despite our relaxed mask-wearing rules, I'm glad to see most Singaporeans have cautiously chosen to keep their masks on outdoors," The Straits Times newspaper had Lee as saying.

Meanwhile, there were close to 9,000 cases of COVID-19 re-infections in about five months, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Tuesday (Apr 5) in a written reply in Parliament.

From November 1, 2021 to March 25, 2022, there were 8,845 cases of re-infection in Singapore.

The majority of re-infection cases were under 60 years of age, with most of the cases having mild symptoms.

Singapore has recorded more than 1,123,000 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, with 1,287 deaths.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)