KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore began on Tuesday to allow activities that “do not pose high risk of transmission” to resume after two months of lockdown, despite reporting the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in East Asia, German press agency, dpa, reported.

Some offices and factories resumed operations, children went back to school, and places of worship opened their doors. But restaurants cannot yet cater to dine-in customers and recreation facilities such as gyms and cinemas remain closed for now.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday that the relaxation will likely prove a big relief to all but one that is certainly not without its risks.

The tiny but wealthy city-state, an investment and trade hub whose seaport and airport rank among the world’s busiest, has diagnosed 35,292 cases of coronavirus, more than any country in East or South-East Asia except for China.

Most of the cases are among foreign migrants confined to dormitories, though the related death toll, at 24, is one of the world’s lowest.

(with inputs from Agencies)