Singapore's reimposition of coronavirus restrictions to buy time to prepare to live with the disease has been met with some rare frustration as the government walks a fine line between reopening and preventing hospitals from getting overwhelmed, Reuters reports.

Singapore has largely kept the virus at bay since last year with masks, contact tracing and a closed border.

Now infections are surging to new daily records of more than 2,000 but with 82 per cent of its 5.4 million people fully vaccinated, 98.1pc of cases over the past month have been asymptomatic or involved only mild symptoms.

Singapore relaxed restrictions in August, after 18 months of largely successful mitigation efforts, with a plan for more easing after reaching the 80pc vaccination target in early September.

But instead, with the Delta variant spreading, the reimposition of restrictions, with dining out and other social interactions limited to groups of just two people, has dashed hopes.