Singapore is an independent, multi-ethnic city-state with a population of 5,704,000. Having experienced severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, the Singapore healthcare and surveillance systems have enhanced its pandemic preparedness responses. Despite coping and adapting well to contain the first wave of COVID-19, the systems were put to the test with an increase in the percentage of untraceable transmission within the community and widespread transmission among the migrant worker population. As of October 23, the city-state has recorded 57,941 cases of COVID-19 infection ; of this, 94.04% (n=54,492) were linked to migrant workers living in dormitories. The nation's fatality rate of 0.05% is below global average (4%). Since the initiation of a nation-wide stay-at-home measure (circuit breaker) on April 7, the number of new cases and unlinked cases in the community has decreased significantly. Public health interventions such as contact tracing, enhanced surveillance testing in the dormitories have also lead to earlier detection and quarantine, thus preventing further uncontrolled transmission among migrant worker living in the dormitories.