"After our most severe downturn since independence, we look forward to a rebound in 2021, although the recovery will be uneven, and activity is likely to remain below pre-COVID-19 levels for some time," Lee Hsien Loong said in a New Year message.
Singapore's economy is likely to contract between 6% and 6.5% this year, marking its worst recession, and grow 4% to 6% in 2021, according to official forecasts.
"Economically, we are not yet out of the woods either, but we are beginning to see signs of stabilisation," Lee said.
(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Martin Petty)
