The Way People Work in Singapore Won’t Be the Same Again

"Singapore will have to change its urban plans as working from home, staggered office hours and other flexible arrangements become the norm following the coronavirus pandemic, said one of the city’s leaders.

Office and building designs will need to be modified to improve ventilation and air filtering given the risk of transmission is greater in enclosed spaces, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said in a televised address on Tuesday. Features like automatic doors, stations for hand sanitizer and temperature monitoring should be standard practice, he said.

“Covid-19 has precipitated a shift toward more flexible work arrangements,” said Wong, who co-chairs a ministerial task force to tackle the virus. Singapore has “to change the way we live and work.”

With infections surging past 38,000, Singapore has one of the highest reported tallies in Asia. To contain the spread, the government has adopted a cautious reopening approach following a two-month lockdown, with more measures possibly eased later this month. At the same time, it’s spending S$93 billion ($66.7 billion), or 20% of gross domestic product, to cushion the economic impact.

Wong’s address is among a string of speeches delivered and planned by the nation’s leaders amid an impending general election. On Sunday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned that Singapore will have to prepare for a future unlike the one before the pandemic."

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