3 takeaways from Singapore’s Finance Minister Lawrence Wong’s parliamentary speech Details Published: 06 July 2021 In addition to affirming the financial support for SMEs, Minister Wong shared that COVID-19 restrictions may be eased further from 12 July, allowing larger groups of five people to dine together. In the latest parliamentary sitting (5 July), Singapore’s Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong touched on the nation’s progress in terms of public health, support for businesses, and fiscal health. “It has been a year-and-a-half since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. And when the pandemic first broke out, some even thought it might be all over after a year. Unfortunately, this scenario has not materialised.