Singapore will allow most businesses to reopen on Friday as the it further eases its coronavirus restrictions, according to AFP.

But potential “super spreader” venues such as cinemas, bars and nightclubs will stay closed despite infection rates remaining stable for the past two weeks, officials said.

Singapore initially kept the virus in check with a strict regime of testing and contact tracing, only for serious outbreaks to emerge later in dormitories housing low-paid migrant workers.

It now has the highest recorded number of infections in Southeast Asia with over 40,000 cases, mostly among foreign workers. The death toll stands at 26.