patient care setting. Movement of patients and doctors between healthcare institutions was also limited to prevent multiple institutions from being affected at the same time. Border control measures Apart from detecting cases and containing spread, prevention of imported cases is important to reduce the force of infection from external sources. In Singapore, temperature and health screening of incoming travelers from Wuhan since Jan 3, 2020, and extended to all travellers since Jan 29, 2020, is in place at all ports of entry. Travelers who meet the suspect case definition are conveyed Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jtm/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jtm/taaa039/5804843 by guest on 22 March 2020 directly to hospital. Singapore has, as of Mar 4, 2020, advised Singaporeans to defer non-essential travel to mainland China, Republic of Korea (ROK), Northern Italy and Iran and imposed entry restrictions on visitors from the same areas. Returning residents and long-term pass holders with travel history to these affected regions are subject to a 14-day quarantine. Community and social measures The community-level approach in Singapore was focused on social responsibility while life continued as usual with precautions. Public education is a key strategy to empower the public, and is done through traditional print and broadcast media, as well as social media. This includes messages on regular handwashing and seeking medical treatment early and staying at home when unwell. The use of masks was only encouraged for ill persons to prevent them from infecting others, and the government distributed four masks to every household. Detailed anonymised information on COVID- 19 cases is shared publicly to prevent speculation, while misinformation is quickly debunked and clarified on a government website. In the workplace, employees are encouraged to monitor their temperature and health regularly, and institutions to step up their business continuity plans, including allowing employees to telecommute where possible and having segregated teams. Advisories to avoid large-scale events of more than 1,000 people are in place, while ongoing events are advised to take precautions such as health screening and turning away ill individuals. Schools have remained open, and have implemented precautionary measures such as reduction of mass assemblies, inter-class and inter-school activities, and staggered meal times. Mass fever screening through thermal temperature scanners is widely instituted at entry to public buildings, such as offices, hotels, community centres and places of worship. Although these precautions are implemented, relative normalcy of day-to-day life has been maintained in Singapore. Notably, Singapore has not implemented school closures or other major social distancing measures, as there is no evidence of widespread community transmission, and rates of COVID-19 infection among children remain low.4 School closures and social distancing have been performed in China and Hong Kong, where containment is also successful. However, Singapore’s experience suggests it is possible to avoid major social disruptions and contain the spread of COVID-19, as a sustainable approach over the long term. Success and Challenges With the combination of measures, Singapore has been able to interrupt transmission to contain the outbreak. The majority of cases were detected through application of the case definition at the point of medical consult or through contact tracing.5 Statistical modeling of the effective reproduction