[14] In response to the first wave of COVID-19, Singapore enacted the "COVID-19 Control Order", announcing on 3 April 2020 a stringent set of preventive measures collectively called the "circuit breaker lockdown".

SafeEntry, a check-in system that logs the entry and exit of visitors to public places, was first introduced at selected wet markets on 24 April 2020[24] and subsequently expanded to include a wide range of venues in May.

[25] It was later augmented by compulsory use of TraceTogether,[26] a system originally launched on 20 March 2020[27] that uses Bluetooth signal strengths to track the proximity and duration of encounters between people with a smartphone app or physical token.

[28] With the relaxation of most countermeasures on 26 April 2022, both systems were phased out except in the case of large events with 500 participants, food and beverages outlets, and nightlife entertainment establishments with dancing facilities.

[39] On 30 January, the WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), after mounting evidence that the novel coronavirus had spread to 18 countries and completion of investigation in Wuhan.

[70] Other factors contributing to Singapore's exceptionally low CFR include the country's use of extensive contact tracing and testing to identify cases, mandatory mask-wearing, and hospitalisation of all high-risk patients.

[94] The number of daily cases amongst migrant workers living in dormitories gradually decreased but continued to remain in the hundreds until early August, with aggressive testing by the authorities.

[118] However, a new cluster was formed at the 115 Bukit Merah View Market and Food Centre that was linked to a 74-year old store owner who tested positive on 9 June, which resulted in a fresh surge of community cases.

[133] On 29 March 2022, the measures were further eased, with the limit on group sizes and dining-in increased to 10, masks made optional outdoors and the full reopening of borders for fully-vaccinated travellers, as well as the lifting of restrictions on live performances.

[139] On 6 October 2023, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced that Singapore was experiencing another COVID-19 infection wave, with the recent spate of cases mostly driven by two variants, EG.5 and its sub-lineage HK.3.

[140] On 22 December 2023, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung indicated that the latest wave of COVID-19 cases in Singapore had possibly peaked and there was therefore no need for additional measures, such as a mask mandate, to be implemented.

[158] Eventually, the Singapore government carried out its first execution on 30 March 2022 by hanging 68-year-old Singaporean drug trafficker Abdul Kahar Othman, thus ending the city-state's moratorium on capital punishment.

[177] Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat announced that some 3,800 companies had closed in April 2020, only slightly higher than the 3,700 reported on average for the same month in the past 5 years.

[201] The Connect@Singapore initiative, which allows short-term stays for the purposes for business travel, was announced in December 2020 by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and launched on 1 April 2021 in an attempt to revitalise the nation's airline and hospitality sectors by re-opening borders safely.

[202][203] On 8 May 2021, the UK announced that it would allow people in England to resume international travel from 17 May, but would limit the number of destinations open for quarantine-free holidays to just a handful of countries as it cautiously eases lockdown restrictions.

[229][230] Subsequently, both nations agreed to a phased opening of a second VTL through the Johor–Singapore Causeway beginning on 29 November 2021 using designated bus lanes, marking the reopening of the land border between the two countries since its closure in March 2020.

[253][255][256] Panic buying and hoarding of essentials such as rice, instant noodles and toilet paper occurred with the raising of the DORSCON level from yellow to orange on 7 February 2020, with empty shelves at supermarkets within hours.

[263] 10 days later, NTUC FairPrice expanded its list to include canned food, cooking oil and frozen meat, with reduced purchasing limits for paper products.

[303][304] On 1 September 2020, Singapore Airlines announced plans to reinstate several destinations that have opened up travel such as Bandar Seri Begawan, Auckland, Christchurch, Taipei, Hong Kong, Macau, Hanoi, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.

In August and September 2021, "slightly under 10%" out of a total of 9,500 bus drivers were affected, resulting in some express services being withdrawn, while waiting times increased for other routes that had to run at a reduced frequency.

[127][309] In February 2022, another shortage of drivers occurred due to a wave of infections, and SBS Transit was forced to reduce the operating frequency of some routes, with double-decker buses deployed to replace single-deckers in some instances to compensate for capacity.

[315] The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and SPF were investigating possible abuses of the COVID-19 Temporary Relief Fund (TRF), which is supposed to provide financial assistance to those eligible.

[352][353] MFA and other governmental agencies subsequently brought back at least 1,000[c] Singaporeans, permanent residents, and family members stranded at other locations where there were similar lockdowns and suspension of flights: Cambodia,[354] Egypt,[355] Fiji,[356] India,[357] Iran,[358] Nepal,[359] Saudi Arabia,[360] Slovenia,[361] and the UK.

[390] The government announced on 4 June 2020 that they would be keeping Central Provident Fund contribution rates unchanged as they believed the Jobs Support Scheme would help reduce the burden on employers.

[397] On 14 April, the Infocomm Media Development Authority announced that they will launch Public Service Content worth S$8 million and fund 90% of the course fees for Self-Employed Persons under Talent Assistance (T-Assist) Programme.

[402] In February 2020, incidents were reported of healthcare workers such as nurses and ambulance drivers being ostracised, as members of the public who feared that their contact with coronavirus patients would pose an infection risk.

[405] Despite effective handling of initial waves of infection, several serious outbreaks in April have brought the situation in Singapore out of control; many analysts points to poor conditions at foreign workers dormitories as a major factor of the failure.

[411] While churches in the 1960s and 1970s historically championed social justice and advocacy for worker rights within the Singaporean civil society, this has declined over the years due to the rise of a middle class and a dependency on state-centric growth.

[425][426] The Minister of National Development Lawrence Wong explained that resulting reduction of passenger capacity will involve major society disruptions, such as lateness for work, more unnecessary increase of transportation, more manpower strength and enforcement.

[433] The COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Amendment) Bill was passed on 2 February, which included a possible extension of the COVID-19 Control Order to next year and beyond if the situation does not improve or worsens, as well as the removal of SafeEntry/TraceTogether data at the end of the pandemic.