We came across this message being forwarded on WhatsApp:

The message states that it has been declared that Singapore will “go back into a state of lockdown (Heightened Alert)” from 18 September 2021 for a month in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

While there has indeed been a surge in cases recently, is it true that Singapore would therefore be heading into ‘lockdown’ once again?

If you’ve been a loyal reader of our fact-checks, you must have felt a sense of deja vu, given that it was just 2 months ago that a similar message was being spread on WhatsApp. Then, it was mentioned that Singapore declared a month-long “Phase 2 (Heightened Alert)” from 19 July in response to a recent rise in COVID-19 cases due to the KTV clusters.

If you’re a seasoned follower, you’d also have recognised that the URL in the message is both suspiciously long and familiar.

For the unacquainted, while the first link leads to CNA’s main page, the second link leads to once again our favourite finger-flipping furry ‘friend’.

We’re not exactly sure who in Singapore is still falling for this trick, given that it has appeared in multiple instances previously.

Regardless, given that there has been no announcement nor indication that Singapore is heading back into “lockdown” for a month from 18 September, the claim is false.