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(CNN) -
Singapore has warned that it may need to re-enforce covid-19 restrictions if a new outbreak of the highly infectious delta variant is not contained, putting the city's shift to life at risk. with the virus.
The number of new covid-19 infections in Singapore doubled last week, according to the country's Health Ministry, and rose to more than 1,200 cases in the week ending Sept. 5.
To date, Singapore has recorded a total of 68,901 covid cases - 19 infections and 55 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
On Monday, Lawrence Wong, head of Singapore's covid-19 task force, said that it is not only the total number of daily cases that worries the Singapore government, but also "the speed at which the virus is spreading." .
"We know from the experience of other countries that when cases increase so steeply, there will be many more cases of ICU and many more people will succumb to the virus," he said.
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Covid-19 cases are on the rise in countries praised for stopping outbreaks.
Do they need to change their strategies?
Social distancing measures in a public seating area on Orchard Road, Singapore, on Aug. 3. (Credit: Lauryn Ishak / Bloomberg)
Singapore followed an aggressive "zero covid" policy during the pandemic, imposing strict restrictions, including closing restaurants, closing borders and imposing physical distancing.
But in June, the government announced that it planned to move towards a strategy of living with covid: trying to control outbreaks with vaccines and monitor hospitalizations instead of restricting the lives of citizens.
"The bad news is that covid-19 may never go away. The good news is that it is possible to live normally with it among us," Singapore's top covid-19 officials wrote in an opinion piece in June.
New covid-19 restrictions in Singapore
Singapore has one of the highest covid-19 vaccination rates in the world, with more than 80% of the population fully vaccinated.
Throughout August, the country began to relax some of its COVID-19 restrictions, allowing fully vaccinated people to dine at restaurants and gather in groups of five, rather than two.
But the new outbreak has halted any reopening, Singapore's covid task force head Wong said on Monday.
Wong said Singapore will try to contain the new outbreak through more aggressive contact tracing and through "fence" cases and clusters.
Mandatory testing for high-risk workers will also be done more frequently, once a week rather than once every two weeks.
And the list of workers subject to mandatory testing will be expanded to include retail, delivery and public transportation personnel.
Singapore has also banned all workplace gatherings as of Wednesday, and Wong encouraged citizens to avoid unnecessary social events as they try to contain the outbreak.
He said it was a reflection of Singapore's new policy and high vaccination rates that the country was able to maintain an open level during the new outbreak.
"But if, despite our best efforts, we find that the number of severe cases requiring oxygen in the ICU increases dramatically, we may have no case but to toughen our general stance, so we should not rule that out," he said. .
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A word of caution for other countries
The Singapore outbreak occurs as other countries in the region, which previously sought zero infections, are moving towards a similar model of living with covid.
Millions of residents in the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria have been living in lockdown for months as local authorities tried to contain outbreaks of the delta variant.
They have since admitted that this will not be possible.
The Australian government announced in August that once 70% of people over the age of 16 receive two doses of the vaccine, there will be a steady reduction in restrictions.
Only 38.4% of Australia's population was fully vaccinated as of Monday.
But some Australian state leaders have warned against the premature opening of state borders, questioning why they would voluntarily expose their populations to the virus.
Western Australia and Queensland currently have no covid-19 cases in the community.
"We have some of the most free, open and exciting communities in the world, and we want to keep it that way as we vaccinate our population," Western Australian Prime Minister Mark McGowan said on August 30.
"The idea that it would prematurely decide to deliberately import the virus ... is completely insane," he added.
Some epidemiologists say that if restrictions are eased before vaccination rates in vulnerable communities are high enough, the results could be catastrophic.
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