"This is clearly a setback in our fight against COVID-19,"said Lawrence Wong, the minister for education who co-chairs Singapore's coronavirus taskforce.
"Quick reopening hopes have been dashed, especially for the travel and leisure sectors," said Bank of Singapore analyst Moh Siong Sim."Manufacturing should hold up as has been the case over the past year."Albeit with a reduced capacity, shopping malls and cinemas will be allowed to keep operating, and events and weddings to take place under the new arrangements.
The Asian trade and financial hub had been reporting almost zero or single-digit daily local infections for months, before a recent rise in cases. On Thursday, it confirmed 24 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the highest daily number since mid-September driven partly by a cluster at Changi airport.