Singapore has postponed its National Day parade scheduled for Aug 9 due to public concern over a new wave of Covid-19 infections.
The Defence Ministry on Thursday evening announced the annual parade’s postponement until Aug 21, after the latest round of social distancing measures imposed to curb the recent surge in coronavirus cases is expected to be lifted. A small ceremonial parade will still be held on the anniversary of Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in 1965.
The postponement came amid mounting criticism of the plan to hold the parade on social media, with people saying it contradicted the demand for citizens to abide by strict restrictions on their activities. A petition drive on Change.org calling for the parade to be cancelled had attracted over 39,000 signatures as of Friday morning.
“With the rising cases of Covid-19, the continuation of this public event does not make any sense. This event is clearly non-essential during a pandemic,” says the petition. A National Day parade has been held every year since 1966 to mark Singapore’s independence.
