International Legal Outlook: Singapore

Abstract

On 3 April, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced a four-week period of heightened safe distancing measures would be implemented to pre-empt an increasing local transmission of Covid-19, commencing 7 April. Most workplace premises, save for those providing essential services, were thereby closed, and schools moved towards full home-based learning. Following these measures, registrars’ circulars were issued by the Supreme Court, state courts and family justice courts stating that only essential and urgent matters would be heard during the distancing period and only, as far as possible, via electronic means of communication.