THE Singapore government will be unveiling a slew of targeted measures to support businesses affected by the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak at Budget 2020 on Feb 18, even though it is also prepared to support Singapore firms in the event of a broad-based slowdown, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said.
“I already had a package ready before this outbreak to tackle this slowdown, and in particular the effect from the US-China trade conflict, but with this, we are prepared to do more,” he told reporters on Saturday after a site visit at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Hotel, where Singapore’s first coronavirus patient stayed at previously.
However, Mr Heng said Singaporeans should also be prepared for a broader slowdown across the economy, adding: “For that, we will have a strong Budget 2020 to address these weaknesses.”