Back in late January, the PAP govt was still in the 可防可控 'not as serious as SARS' mode, and didn't want anyone to 'spread unnecessary rumours'.
And those Scoot flights from Wuhan kept coming.
Remember this: in a one party bao gar liao system, with no checks and balances, the govt's first instinct is to LIE, because it knows it can get away with it with zero political consequences. Their so-called 'journalists' will work their magic to convince the daft people who hold a child-like trust in authority.