Singapore and the UK are both planning to 'live with Covid.' They are worlds apart on how to do that - CNN

While the UK has one of the highest numbers of Covid-19 related deaths in the world -- nearly 129,000 since the pandemic started -- only 36 people have died of Covid-19 in Singapore.

But Covid-19 case numbers have surpassed 50,000 a day in the UK at the same time that "normal life" resumes -- nearly 52,000 new cases, and 49 deaths, were recorded on Friday.

England's reopening is the latest pandemic measure to divide opinion in the country.

While many in Johnson's ruling Conservative Party support his approach, scientists have issued dire warnings that the health of millions of people is at stake, since herd immunity has not been reached and around 17 million people -- some classed as extremely vulnerable to Covid-19 -- remain unvaccinated.

Oliver Watson, a researcher modelling Covid-19 transmission at Imperial College London, told CNN there appeared to be little political will to delay the reopening further, despite the numbers, and the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant, which is now the dominant strain of Covid-19 in the UK.

An "unethical experiment?"

Singapore is currently averaging 26 new Covid-19 cases a day; no firm date has yet been set for its reopening.

Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told Bloomberg on July 9 that Singapore's roadmap diverged considerably from the UK's "big bang approach" to reopening.

Instead, he said, Singapore's reopening would be gradual, "package by package -- nothing 'big bang' -- and each step of the way, make sure we keep populations safe."

Back in England many are watching Boris Johnson's reopening gamble with alarm.

On top of the 17 million people without protection, an uptick of cases could also cause some partially or fully vaccinated individuals to die, he said, adding that it was "horrid" to watch the UK -- one of the few countries in the world to have widescale access to vaccines -- squander this vital tool against Covid-19 with an early reopening.

Vaccines and testing

In contrast to the UK, Singapore's roadmap out of the Covid-19 crisis has faced little public opposition, partly thanks to high levels of trust in the government, which is credited with having helped keep a lid on the virus for the past 18 months.

Despite its lower threshold of cases than the UK, Singapore's current social distancing rules limits social mixing to five people.

As more people are vaccinated in Singapore, the number of infections will be less of a concern, said infectious diseases expert Fisher.

Still, Singapore's reopening "won't be the UK-style 'take off your masks and let's party,'" he said.

The finer details of Singapore's roadmap are still being drawn up by its health agencies, but Fisher reckons the reopening may see Singaporeans allowed to travel more freely, and to quarantine at home if they are vaccinated, rather than at dedicated facilities.

"The point is, we don't want to keep it so tight, but we also don't want overnight 5,000 cases," Fisher said.