Barbra Streisand took to Twitter to praise Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for his approach to handling the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In her tweet, the multi-award-winning singer and actress points out that Singapore has only incurred "three deaths out of 6 million people", and praises PM Lee for speaking "such common sense" and "[telling] people the truth".  

This may have been in response to PM Lee's recent interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria on 29 March, where he cautioned that a long battle still lies ahead, explaining: "I hesitate to talk about success because we are right in the midst of a battle, which is intensifying."

"We are transparent—if there is bad news, we tell you. If there are things which need to be done, we also tell you. I think that you have to maintain that trust because if people do not trust you, even if you have the right measures, it is going to be very hard to get it implemented," he added. 

Singapore has also received praise from foreign health authorities, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), for the containment of the outbreak. Author Margie Warrell has also written a post in Forbes detailing her quarantine in Singapore and the government's swift and decisive measures. 

Streisand is a highly celebrated singer and actress, having been recognised with two Academy Awards, ten Grammy Awards, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress over the course of her career. She also became first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major studio film with the release of Yentl in 1983.

Her tweet caught the attention of Singaporeans, many of whom expressed pride. Comparisons to New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Arden were also drawn.