SINGAPORE — Singapore announced Saturday it will further tighten Covid restrictions for the unvaccinated, as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong predicted it will take between three to six months to get to a “new normal” of living with Covid.

According to the ministry of health in Singapore, this move is meant to protect people who are not currently vaccinated.

In a Saturday briefing, Gan Kim Yong (Singapore’s trade minister) stated that those who have not been vaccinated won’t be permitted to go into malls. He stated that malls will only allow two people, even for those already vaccinated.

The unvaccinated will also not be allowed to dine-in at coffee shops and food centers — open-air food establishments in the country, where they were previously allowed to do so, limited to two people per table.

These restrictions take effect on Wednesday.

Lee gave a speech Saturday on the “new normal” for Singapore.

“How do we determine when we reach the new normal?” This will happen when restrictions can be eased and there is just light. [safe management measures] in place, and cases remain stable – perhaps hundreds a day, but not growing,” Lee said. When our hospitals are able to go back to normal, we will be able to resume seeing people again, without feeling anxious or strange.

He urged the nation not to be “paralyzed by fear,” and said that “sooner or later, every one of us will meet the virus — this means all the elderly will meet the virus too.”

He stated that regions such as Europe were brought to this country by the state but had “paid dearly for it” through many deaths.

Lee stated, “It could take us up to six months, but it will not be less than three months.”

Singapore was able to maintain a zero-Covid policy for most of the pandemic. But, after more than 80 percent of its population had been vaccinated, they began opening their doors. Up to 83% have received at least two doses Covid vaccine as of October 7.

However, after the loosening of restrictions, the numbers started to rise, hitting daily record highs, hovering over 3400, and reaching new records in just a few days.

Singaporean authorities last month tightened Covid measures again in a bid to slow community transmissions and protect hospitals from being overwhelmed. In an effort to reduce the number of social gatherings to five, they reduced the group size to two and made working from home the default. The elderly and vulnerable populations were encouraged to live at home.

The total number of infected people is 120,454, including 142 deaths, as of Friday. According to data from the health ministry, only 98.4% had symptoms over the last 28 days.