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Covid-19 pandemic - mismanagement by PAP government
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“We have been preparing for this since SARS,” - Lee Hsien Loong
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the Republic is much better prepared than it was during the Sars outbreak of 2003.PHOTO: MCI
Zakir Hussain
Singapore Editor
FEB 3, 2020, 4:01 PM
DAVOS - As Singapore sees its first confirmed case of the Wuhan virus, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's assessment is that the country is much better prepared now than it was during the Sars outbreak of 2003.
There is no need to panic, he added in an interview on Thursday (Jan 23) with The Straits Times at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting.
Speaking shortly before the case was confirmed, and a day after a multi-ministry task force to fight the disease was set up, Mr Lee said it was a matter of time before Singapore had a case.
"It is bound to happen because there is such intense coming and going between Singapore and China. Even if it were... between Singapore and the other cities in the world, one way or other, the bug is going to reach us," he said.
PM Lee noted that Singapore had been preparing for a viral outbreak since Sars - severe acute respiratory syndrome - in 2003, which infected 238 people in the country, 33 of whom died, and took three months to contain. The tourism and retail sectors were also badly hit.
The virus was a talking point at the sidelines of the WEF meeting, with CNBC reporting business leaders saying the spread of the virus was a curveball that could hurt economies, as Sars did in 2003.
After that episode, Singapore did a thorough review of its medical facilities and infrastructure, including isolation wards as well as scientific testing and capabilities, he noted.
"I think we are much better prepared now. We have a new Communicable Diseases Centre at Tan Tock Seng," he said.
"Science has made a lot of progress since Sars, so this time with a new coronavirus, the scientists have been able to identify and sequence it much faster than with Sars and share the information with other countries in a much more expeditious way," he added.
PM Lee noted that China had also made progress in dealing with such public health emergencies.
"They understand now that pretending that nothing is wrong is not the right thing to do and they have to come out, and the more open they are, the more effective they can be in dealing with it and (it is) better that they can cooperate with other countries," he added.
Singapore also had to be psychologically prepared and operationally ready for a significant outbreak, including marshalling scientists, healthcare workers and community support.
He said it looked like the current coronavirus is not as lethal as Sars, but it could mutate. "We have to be as prepared as we can," he added.
This, he said, was why the task force was set up to pull together agencies and grassroots groups, as well as the private and healthcare sector to respond to an outbreak in a coordinated way.
"People can see that we are doing what we need to do, and we can go about our lives, take the precautions we need to, but no need to panic," he added.
Singapore better prepared to handle Wuhan virus outbreak, no need to panic: PM Lee Hsien Loong
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the Republic is much better prepared than it was during the Sars outbreak of 2003.PHOTO: MCI
Zakir Hussain
Singapore Editor
FEB 3, 2020, 4:01 PM
DAVOS - As Singapore sees its first confirmed case of the Wuhan virus, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's assessment is that the country is much better prepared now than it was during the Sars outbreak of 2003.
There is no need to panic, he added in an interview on Thursday (Jan 23) with The Straits Times at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting.
Speaking shortly before the case was confirmed, and a day after a multi-ministry task force to fight the disease was set up, Mr Lee said it was a matter of time before Singapore had a case.
"It is bound to happen because there is such intense coming and going between Singapore and China. Even if it were... between Singapore and the other cities in the world, one way or other, the bug is going to reach us," he said.
PM Lee noted that Singapore had been preparing for a viral outbreak since Sars - severe acute respiratory syndrome - in 2003, which infected 238 people in the country, 33 of whom died, and took three months to contain. The tourism and retail sectors were also badly hit.
The virus was a talking point at the sidelines of the WEF meeting, with CNBC reporting business leaders saying the spread of the virus was a curveball that could hurt economies, as Sars did in 2003.
After that episode, Singapore did a thorough review of its medical facilities and infrastructure, including isolation wards as well as scientific testing and capabilities, he noted.
"I think we are much better prepared now. We have a new Communicable Diseases Centre at Tan Tock Seng," he said.
"Science has made a lot of progress since Sars, so this time with a new coronavirus, the scientists have been able to identify and sequence it much faster than with Sars and share the information with other countries in a much more expeditious way," he added.
PM Lee noted that China had also made progress in dealing with such public health emergencies.
"They understand now that pretending that nothing is wrong is not the right thing to do and they have to come out, and the more open they are, the more effective they can be in dealing with it and (it is) better that they can cooperate with other countries," he added.
Singapore also had to be psychologically prepared and operationally ready for a significant outbreak, including marshalling scientists, healthcare workers and community support.
He said it looked like the current coronavirus is not as lethal as Sars, but it could mutate. "We have to be as prepared as we can," he added.
This, he said, was why the task force was set up to pull together agencies and grassroots groups, as well as the private and healthcare sector to respond to an outbreak in a coordinated way.
"People can see that we are doing what we need to do, and we can go about our lives, take the precautions we need to, but no need to panic," he added.
Feb 2020 - Chan Chun Sing said no need to wear mask, criticises Hong Kong
Wuhan virus: Masks necessary only for those with respiratory symptoms, stresses chief of Singapore's infectious diseases centre
People with respiratory symptoms, such as a cough or runny nose, should use a surgical mask as it can help to block large-particle droplets from reaching others.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Prisca Ang
JAN 25, 2020
SINGAPORE - There is no need for people who are well to use masks. As for those with respiratory symptoms such as a cough or runny nose, a surgical mask will do and an N95 mask is not necessary, stressed the chief of Singapore's infectious diseases centre.
Professor Leo Yee Sin, executive director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), said surgical masks can help block large-particle droplets from reaching others.
"For people without any respiratory symptoms, there is no need to put on a surgical mask. We need to have a community effort - for those individuals who display symptoms, put on a mask. This will give safety margins to many of the people without symptoms around them," Prof Leo told reporters at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) on Saturday (Jan 25).
She was speaking on the sidelines of a visit by Health Minister Gan Kim Yong to the hospital on the first day of Chinese New Year.
Prof Leo explained that surgical masks, which have two layers, are well-designed to reduce exposure of the wearer's respiratory secretions to others.
"The inner layer is able to absorb many of the secretions that we release from our respiratory system. The masks are therefore able to capture droplets we produce when we cough, sneeze or talk," she said.
Stressing that most viruses spread through the transmission of droplets, Prof Leo added: "There are large particles that you have to catch and surgical masks are good enough to do that."
In contrast, the N95 mask is a specially-designed respirator used in environments such as hospitals.
"In healthcare settings, you use the N95 mask because it's a very concentrated area where you take care of patients. All healthcare workers have to go through fittings to make sure a particular brand of N95 can fit well onto their faces and that there are no gaps in between," said Prof Leo.
N95 masks, which are tighter fitting, are designed to effectively filter airborne particles. They have been used in Singapore during haze situations.
Masks have been flying off the shelves here since the Wuhan virus outbreak.
Checks by The Straits Times at five pharmacies on Wednesday found that four had run out of N95 masks and three were out of surgical masks.
Three people in Singapore are confirmed to have the Wuhan virus, as at the last update by MOH on Friday afternoon.
The first confirmed case is a 66-year-old man from Wuhan who is here on holiday. He is currently in stable condition at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
His 37-year-old son who was travelling with him has since been confirmed to have the virus too. He is also at SGH and in stable condition.
In addition, another Chinese tourist - a 53-year-old woman from Wuhan who came separately from the two men - has been confirmed as having the virus. She is warded at the NCID and her condition is stable.
Prof Leo said: "This is still a very new virus and we are still in the learning curve. The important thing is to understand it's a disease that can be transmitted between humans. We therefore have to observe personal hygiene to protect ourselves and the community."
Speaking to the media at TTSH, Mr Gan urged the public to observe personal hygiene while enjoying the Chinese New Year festivities.
He also thanked all healthcare workers who are on duty during the festive period.
"Many of them have sacrificed their festive holidays. Instead of being with their family members, they have come back to work in order to take care of our patients and loved ones," said Mr Gan.
Many healthcare workers, including private general practitioners (GPs), are at the front line of virus outbreaks and play an important role in the detection of suspected cases, the minister added.
MOH has been working with GPs, clinics and hospitals to ensure that adequate protective gears are provided to them, he said.
Mr Gan visited more than 40 staff members and patients in several wards, handing out red packets and oranges.
He also joined more than 50 TTSH staff in a lo hei toss.
And because of MOM's threat, contractors kept their covid-19 infected workers in the dormitories and the virus spread through all the dorms.
National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) staff in Clinic J at NCID on Feb 14, 2020.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Tee Zhuo
FEB 19, 2020
SINGAPORE - Do not send employees to hospitals unless there is a medical emergency, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has warned employers, after hospitals reported that employers were dropping off workers to have them tested for the coronavirus.
"Employers who act irresponsibly by misusing medical facilities may have their work pass privileges suspended," it added.
In a message sent to employers seen by The Straits Times on Wednesday (Feb 19), Mr Kevin Teoh, divisional director of MOM's foreign manpower management division, said the ministry had been getting feedback from hospitals that employers were sending their workers to be tested for Covid-19, as the disease is now known.
ST has contacted the Health Ministry for more information on the extent of such behaviour.
Mr Teoh reminded employers that hospitals will not test individuals who are well.
"This is to ensure that medical facilities and resources are focused on unwell individuals who need medical treatment," he said.
A worker who is unwell should be sent to a general practitioner, who will then assess if the worker needs to be taken to hospital.
"Our hospitals are working hard to ensure that medical emergencies are handled promptly," said Mr Teoh.
"We encourage you to be socially responsible and only send workers to the hospital if it is a medical emergency, as doing so otherwise will deny immediate treatment to those who need it."
He added that employers should monitor the health of their workers by checking their temperature twice daily and reminding them to observe good personal hygiene, such as washing their hands with soap frequently.
MOM has been taking employers and workers to task for not following rules restricting workers’ entry and movements when returning from China.
For example, it revoked the work passes of two workers and suspended their employers’ work pass privileges on Thursday (Feb 13) for breaching entry approval requirements.
What's next for the coronavirus? | Asian Insider EP25 | The Straits Times
On Feb 9, it repatriated four work pass holders and suspended six employers for not complying with Leave of Absence rules.
On Monday, the Government introduced the Stay-Home Notice scheme which requires all who return from China not to leave their homes for 14 days.
MOM said the scheme also applies to all work pass holders with recent travel history to mainland China.
This is stricter than the previous Leave of Absence scheme, where people could still leave their residence briefly for food and other necessities.
Coronavirus: Employers who send healthy workers to hospitals for Covid-19 test may get work pass privileges suspended, warns MOM
National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) staff in Clinic J at NCID on Feb 14, 2020.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Tee Zhuo
FEB 19, 2020
SINGAPORE - Do not send employees to hospitals unless there is a medical emergency, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has warned employers, after hospitals reported that employers were dropping off workers to have them tested for the coronavirus.
"Employers who act irresponsibly by misusing medical facilities may have their work pass privileges suspended," it added.
In a message sent to employers seen by The Straits Times on Wednesday (Feb 19), Mr Kevin Teoh, divisional director of MOM's foreign manpower management division, said the ministry had been getting feedback from hospitals that employers were sending their workers to be tested for Covid-19, as the disease is now known.
ST has contacted the Health Ministry for more information on the extent of such behaviour.
Mr Teoh reminded employers that hospitals will not test individuals who are well.
"This is to ensure that medical facilities and resources are focused on unwell individuals who need medical treatment," he said.
A worker who is unwell should be sent to a general practitioner, who will then assess if the worker needs to be taken to hospital.
"Our hospitals are working hard to ensure that medical emergencies are handled promptly," said Mr Teoh.
"We encourage you to be socially responsible and only send workers to the hospital if it is a medical emergency, as doing so otherwise will deny immediate treatment to those who need it."
He added that employers should monitor the health of their workers by checking their temperature twice daily and reminding them to observe good personal hygiene, such as washing their hands with soap frequently.
MOM has been taking employers and workers to task for not following rules restricting workers’ entry and movements when returning from China.
For example, it revoked the work passes of two workers and suspended their employers’ work pass privileges on Thursday (Feb 13) for breaching entry approval requirements.
What's next for the coronavirus? | Asian Insider EP25 | The Straits Times
On Feb 9, it repatriated four work pass holders and suspended six employers for not complying with Leave of Absence rules.
On Monday, the Government introduced the Stay-Home Notice scheme which requires all who return from China not to leave their homes for 14 days.
MOM said the scheme also applies to all work pass holders with recent travel history to mainland China.
This is stricter than the previous Leave of Absence scheme, where people could still leave their residence briefly for food and other necessities.
"Expert"
Dr Shawn Vasoo, clinical director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, said that as far as is currently known, "transmission is predominantly still through symptomatic persons".
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Salma Khalik
Senior Health Correspondent
MAY 24, 2021
SINGAPORE - There is no robust proof that the coronavirus can be spread by someone with no symptoms of the disease, said Dr Shawn Vasoo, clinical director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).
A letter in the New England Journal Of Medicine on Jan 30 saying that this has happened has since been proven to be wrong, he said.
The letter by doctors from the University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich had said a German businessman had caught the infection from a Chinese woman whom he had met when she was in Germany.
They said the woman had only become sick on her flight home to Shanghai and was later found to be infected with the coronavirus.
This had led to fears of asymptomatic transmission, which would be difficult to stem.
However, it later transpired that the doctors had not spoken to the woman at all, and had merely taken the German man's word that she had been well when they had met.
However, when she was interviewed in Shanghai, she disclosed that she had been sick while in Germany.
Since then, there have been other anecdotal reports, including a letter in the Journal Of The American Medical Association on Feb 21 by a team of doctors from China.
They described five members of a family in Anyang, China, who were infected by another family member who was "presumed" asymptomatic. She had been in Wuhan, where the family and the doctors believe she was infected by the virus.
However, the doctors, who were more cautious in claiming it as an asymptomatic transmission, said: "The sequence of events suggests that the coronavirus may have been transmitted by the asymptomatic carrier."
Dr Vasoo said this report is limited in that is not so clear about whether the patient in question had infected the others, or was infected by them. It was presumed that she was the source of the infection simply because she had been to Wuhan, the outbreak's epicentre.
He added that in this case, “environmental contamination or exposure to other infected persons cannot be excluded”.
Professor Paul Tambyah, an infectious diseases expert at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, said of this report: “That is the only case in the peer reviewed literature so far and I am not totally convinced about it.”
But he added that while there is no concrete proof, “I think it is certainly possible that people who are about to get ill may be able to transmit the infection”.
People with influenza or chicken pox viruses can infect others “the day before the onset of symptoms”, so it is possible that the coronavirus does too, he said.
Dr Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had also said in an interview with CNN about a week back that the virus can be spread by someone with no symptoms.
But he said this belief was based on information from his colleagues in China.
Dr Vasoo said that as far as is currently known, "transmission is predominantly still through symptomatic persons".
Some who are said to be "asymptomatic" may actually have "mild symptoms that people do not make much of", he said.
He added: "While it is plausible that viral diseases may transmit in varying degrees and durations in the pre-symptomatic phase, we do not have robust data that it happens or to what extent it is for Covid-19."
When asked about international reports of asymptomatic carriers of the virus, a Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesman on Monday (Feb 24) noted the case in Germany was later retracted and said it was aware of the case report from China.
“But I think apart from that case report, we don’t really have much information about the circumstances in which it occurred,” he said.
The spokesman added that with nearly 80,000 patients worldwide, it was not surprising to find one or two outliers, and that there will be more outliers as the number of cases grows.
RELATED STORY
“We are quite confident that based on the vast majority of cases there’s a certain pattern to transmission, there’s a certain pattern to how the disease evolves,” he said.
“And we do have to tailor the way we manage this outbreak based on the best advice or the best knowledge that we have at that point in time.”
No proof of asymptomatic transmission of coronavirus: NCID
Dr Shawn Vasoo, clinical director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, said that as far as is currently known, "transmission is predominantly still through symptomatic persons".
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Salma Khalik
Senior Health Correspondent
MAY 24, 2021
SINGAPORE - There is no robust proof that the coronavirus can be spread by someone with no symptoms of the disease, said Dr Shawn Vasoo, clinical director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).
A letter in the New England Journal Of Medicine on Jan 30 saying that this has happened has since been proven to be wrong, he said.
The letter by doctors from the University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich had said a German businessman had caught the infection from a Chinese woman whom he had met when she was in Germany.
They said the woman had only become sick on her flight home to Shanghai and was later found to be infected with the coronavirus.
This had led to fears of asymptomatic transmission, which would be difficult to stem.
However, it later transpired that the doctors had not spoken to the woman at all, and had merely taken the German man's word that she had been well when they had met.
However, when she was interviewed in Shanghai, she disclosed that she had been sick while in Germany.
Since then, there have been other anecdotal reports, including a letter in the Journal Of The American Medical Association on Feb 21 by a team of doctors from China.
They described five members of a family in Anyang, China, who were infected by another family member who was "presumed" asymptomatic. She had been in Wuhan, where the family and the doctors believe she was infected by the virus.
However, the doctors, who were more cautious in claiming it as an asymptomatic transmission, said: "The sequence of events suggests that the coronavirus may have been transmitted by the asymptomatic carrier."
Dr Vasoo said this report is limited in that is not so clear about whether the patient in question had infected the others, or was infected by them. It was presumed that she was the source of the infection simply because she had been to Wuhan, the outbreak's epicentre.
He added that in this case, “environmental contamination or exposure to other infected persons cannot be excluded”.
Professor Paul Tambyah, an infectious diseases expert at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, said of this report: “That is the only case in the peer reviewed literature so far and I am not totally convinced about it.”
But he added that while there is no concrete proof, “I think it is certainly possible that people who are about to get ill may be able to transmit the infection”.
People with influenza or chicken pox viruses can infect others “the day before the onset of symptoms”, so it is possible that the coronavirus does too, he said.
Dr Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had also said in an interview with CNN about a week back that the virus can be spread by someone with no symptoms.
But he said this belief was based on information from his colleagues in China.
Dr Vasoo said that as far as is currently known, "transmission is predominantly still through symptomatic persons".
Some who are said to be "asymptomatic" may actually have "mild symptoms that people do not make much of", he said.
He added: "While it is plausible that viral diseases may transmit in varying degrees and durations in the pre-symptomatic phase, we do not have robust data that it happens or to what extent it is for Covid-19."
When asked about international reports of asymptomatic carriers of the virus, a Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesman on Monday (Feb 24) noted the case in Germany was later retracted and said it was aware of the case report from China.
“But I think apart from that case report, we don’t really have much information about the circumstances in which it occurred,” he said.
The spokesman added that with nearly 80,000 patients worldwide, it was not surprising to find one or two outliers, and that there will be more outliers as the number of cases grows.
RELATED STORY
Coronavirus 101: What do you want to know?
Instead of focusing on asymptomatic transmission, people should think about “what we can all do to protect ourselves”, he said, reiterating the importance of personal hygiene.“We are quite confident that based on the vast majority of cases there’s a certain pattern to transmission, there’s a certain pattern to how the disease evolves,” he said.
“And we do have to tailor the way we manage this outbreak based on the best advice or the best knowledge that we have at that point in time.”
Explainer
Dewey Sim in Singapore and Kok Xinghui in Singapore
Published: 6:28pm, 17 Apr, 2020
Migrant workers in their room at the WestLite Toh Guan dormitory in Singapore. Photo: EPA
Singapore
’s coronavirus numbers have more than quadrupled in the past two weeks, propelled by a surge in Covid-19 infections among its migrant worker population. The island nation had 1,000 cases on April 1, with 10 infections among workers living in dormitories – and
4,427 infections on April 16
, 60 per cent of which are migrant workers living in dorms.
The first infected migrant worker infection was reported on February 8, when a 39-year-old Bangladeshi man working at the Seletar Aerospace Heights construction site caught the disease. He had visited Mustafa Centre – a 24-hour shopping centre – before he was hospitalised, and stayed at The Leo dormitory. The Seletar Aerospace Heights work site eventually became a cluster with five infections, but it was contained and only towards the end of March were migrant workers again reporting infections.
The first dormitory cluster was identified on March 30, with four infections at S11 dormitory. Cases among workers living in dormitories quickly ballooned to 2,689 – representing 60 per cent of all cases in Singapore – of which 979 came from the S11 dorm.
The surge has changed Singapore’s transmission rate (Ro) – the number of newly infected people from a single case – from “well under one” before the outbreaks in dormitories to “somewhere closer” to one, said director of medical services Kenneth Mak.
Manpower minister Josephine Teo attributed this rapid spread to workers socialising across dormitories on their days off, then again with different groups of friends within their dormitories. “They might, you know, cook together, eat together. Relax together,” Teo said. Authorities have identified the 400,000 sq ft Mustafa Centre – popular with migrant workers, locals and tourists – as a starting point for the disease’s spread among workers.
A migrant worker at the North Coast Lodge dormitory in Singapore on April 17. Photo: EPA
As the country focused on this rise in imported cases, it missed the infections happening among migrant workers. National development minister Lawrence Wong said many of the workers had continued working as their symptoms were mild. “We did drop the ball on foreign workers,” wrote former Singapore diplomat Bilahari Kausikan, an active commentator on social media.
The fundamental issue is the poor living conditions faced by these men. They sleep on bunk beds, 12 to 20 people packed into a room ventilated by small fans attached to the ceiling or walls. Hundreds of men on each floor share communal toilets and showering facilities.
“We at TWC2 knew it was only a matter of time before Covid-19 would begin to spread in worker dormitories, where conditions are nearly ideal for transmission of infection,” the organisation said on April 3. “It gives us no pleasure to be proven right so soon after.”
Authorities have since set up medical outposts at dormitories and reassured workers that their salaries would be paid while they were locked down. In a video address,
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
spoke directly to the families of those affected, saying Singapore appreciates the workers’ contributions. “We feel responsible for their well-being. We will do our best to take care of their health, livelihood and welfare here, and to let them go home, safe and sound, to you,” he said.
They charge construction companies who hire the workers S$300 to S$400 (US$210-US$280) per worker for lodging each month, while workers pay around S$130 a month for three catered meals a day. Efforts to contact the operator of the S11 dormitory – which has the largest cluster of infections in Singapore – were not successful, but owner Jonathan Cheah in 2015 told local media his second dormitory, Changi Lodge 2, had an annual turnover of S$15 million and S11, if full, could hit an annual turnover of S$55 million.
This would include locking down dormitories with known clusters of infections, she said, meaning that there was “no more going in and out”. Twelve of the 43 registered dormitories are currently gazetted as isolation zones, with workers staying in their rooms as much as possible and meals sent to them. The government is also testing several thousand workers a day to identify and then isolate those infected.
A migrant worker waits to get a medical check near the Toh Guan Dormitory on April 8. Photo: Xinhua
The second measure is to prevent clusters from forming at other dormitories, Teo said, explaining that this would be done by isolating those who had tested positive for the virus and their close contacts. Even though not all dormitories have known clusters, authorities aim to apply the same measures across the board, with social distancing measures strictly enforced and no “free mixing” among workers.
The third approach involves relocating about 7,000 workers who are well and are in essential services, Teo added. These workers were moved to separate facilities including military camps, exhibition centres, floating hotels, and empty housing blocks.
Cleaning, waste management and sanitation efforts have been ramped up, and a dedicated team comprising 380 to 400 personnel from the Singapore Armed Forces and the Singapore Police Force has been deployed to work with dormitory operators to ensure timely food delivery. Medical posts have also been set up at dormitories to look after workers who exhibit symptoms.
Still, Bangladeshi workers who were interviewed by local media have expressed their fears about the virus as more dormitories were hit. One of the interviewees said they were now unable to go to other workers’ rooms or other floors within the dormitories, and most of them were either on their phones with loved ones or reading books.
A dormitory block housing migrant workers at the North Coast Lodge. Photo: EPA
The letter, written by a reader, urged citizens not to blame the Singapore government entirely for the worsening situation, adding that migrant workers should take responsibility for their poor personal hygiene.
Even though some netizens agreed with the points raised, others criticised the writer’s remarks and said they were a reflection of how poorly most Singaporeans treated migrant workers – even though they were a vital part of Singapore’s growth and economic boom.
Human rights activist Kirsten Han wrote in a recent commentary: “Singapore’s government is often praised, domestically and internationally, for its planning and foresight … but recent developments have demonstrated that you can’t have foresight for things you refuse to see.”
“If there was really tighter monitoring and enforcement, why did they also not ensure that steps were taken to prevent the situation from deteriorating? Warning signs were flashing,” Chee said.
Meanwhile, migrant groups have sprung into action to help the workers in lockdown, and a swell of community initiatives have helped pool resources to donate food, masks and money to them.
Others have started volunteering as interpreters to assist doctors attending to Bangladeshi patients, with one graduate from the National University of Singapore, Sudesna Roy Chowdhury, later building a translation portal for medical teams treating migrant workers.
How did migrant worker dormitories become Singapore’s biggest coronavirus cluster?
- Cases in the island nation have more than quadrupled in the past two weeks, propelled by a surge in infections among migrant workers
- The government has upped its efforts amid criticism, with former diplomat Bilahari Kausikan saying ‘we did drop the ball on foreign workers’
Dewey Sim in Singapore and Kok Xinghui in Singapore
Published: 6:28pm, 17 Apr, 2020
Migrant workers in their room at the WestLite Toh Guan dormitory in Singapore. Photo: EPA
Singapore
’s coronavirus numbers have more than quadrupled in the past two weeks, propelled by a surge in Covid-19 infections among its migrant worker population. The island nation had 1,000 cases on April 1, with 10 infections among workers living in dormitories – and
4,427 infections on April 16
, 60 per cent of which are migrant workers living in dorms.
Who are Singapore’s migrant workers, and why are so many infected?
There are 323,000 low-wage migrant workers in the country, who take on jobs shunned by Singaporeans in industries such as construction, estate maintenance and manufacturing. Their accommodation includes 43 mega-dormitories with more than 1,000 workers each, some 1,200 factory-converted dormitories which typically house 50 to 100 workers each, and temporary living quarters with around 40 workers on various construction sites.The first infected migrant worker infection was reported on February 8, when a 39-year-old Bangladeshi man working at the Seletar Aerospace Heights construction site caught the disease. He had visited Mustafa Centre – a 24-hour shopping centre – before he was hospitalised, and stayed at The Leo dormitory. The Seletar Aerospace Heights work site eventually became a cluster with five infections, but it was contained and only towards the end of March were migrant workers again reporting infections.
The first dormitory cluster was identified on March 30, with four infections at S11 dormitory. Cases among workers living in dormitories quickly ballooned to 2,689 – representing 60 per cent of all cases in Singapore – of which 979 came from the S11 dorm.
The surge has changed Singapore’s transmission rate (Ro) – the number of newly infected people from a single case – from “well under one” before the outbreaks in dormitories to “somewhere closer” to one, said director of medical services Kenneth Mak.
Manpower minister Josephine Teo attributed this rapid spread to workers socialising across dormitories on their days off, then again with different groups of friends within their dormitories. “They might, you know, cook together, eat together. Relax together,” Teo said. Authorities have identified the 400,000 sq ft Mustafa Centre – popular with migrant workers, locals and tourists – as a starting point for the disease’s spread among workers.
A migrant worker at the North Coast Lodge dormitory in Singapore on April 17. Photo: EPA
How did this happen when Singapore seemed to be successfully flattening the curve?
Singapore reported its first Covid-19 infection on January 23, but seemed to be successfully containing the disease, with just 102 cases as of February 29. That quickly ballooned to 1,000 by April 1 as soaring infection rates worldwide prompted overseas-based residents of the city state to return home – some of whom were carrying the disease, sparking a second wave of infections through imported cases.As the country focused on this rise in imported cases, it missed the infections happening among migrant workers. National development minister Lawrence Wong said many of the workers had continued working as their symptoms were mild. “We did drop the ball on foreign workers,” wrote former Singapore diplomat Bilahari Kausikan, an active commentator on social media.
The fundamental issue is the poor living conditions faced by these men. They sleep on bunk beds, 12 to 20 people packed into a room ventilated by small fans attached to the ceiling or walls. Hundreds of men on each floor share communal toilets and showering facilities.
As early as March 23, non-profit Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) had written to local media that these conditions were ripe for a Covid-19 cluster. On top of this, workers are transported squeezed into the back of a truck, and not showing up for work leads to a fine – so many of them work despite being ill.“We at TWC2 knew it was only a matter of time before Covid-19 would begin to spread in worker dormitories, where conditions are nearly ideal for transmission of infection,” the organisation said on April 3. “It gives us no pleasure to be proven right so soon after.”
Authorities have since set up medical outposts at dormitories and reassured workers that their salaries would be paid while they were locked down. In a video address,
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
spoke directly to the families of those affected, saying Singapore appreciates the workers’ contributions. “We feel responsible for their well-being. We will do our best to take care of their health, livelihood and welfare here, and to let them go home, safe and sound, to you,” he said.
Who runs or owns the dormitories in which migrant workers live?
The 43 mega-dormitories that house 200,000 workers are operated by the likes of offshore and marine company Keppel and real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, as well as listed companies such as Centurion, which also operates student hostels and workers’ accommodation in Malaysia and Australia.They charge construction companies who hire the workers S$300 to S$400 (US$210-US$280) per worker for lodging each month, while workers pay around S$130 a month for three catered meals a day. Efforts to contact the operator of the S11 dormitory – which has the largest cluster of infections in Singapore – were not successful, but owner Jonathan Cheah in 2015 told local media his second dormitory, Changi Lodge 2, had an annual turnover of S$15 million and S11, if full, could hit an annual turnover of S$55 million.
What is being done about the situation now?
Manpower minister Josephine Teo on Thursday said the city state would adopt a three-pronged strategy. “With the number of cases at the dormitories continuing to rise, our immediate priority for the workers in the dormitories is to help them stay healthy and minimise the number that gets infected,” she wrote on Facebook.This would include locking down dormitories with known clusters of infections, she said, meaning that there was “no more going in and out”. Twelve of the 43 registered dormitories are currently gazetted as isolation zones, with workers staying in their rooms as much as possible and meals sent to them. The government is also testing several thousand workers a day to identify and then isolate those infected.
A migrant worker waits to get a medical check near the Toh Guan Dormitory on April 8. Photo: Xinhua
The second measure is to prevent clusters from forming at other dormitories, Teo said, explaining that this would be done by isolating those who had tested positive for the virus and their close contacts. Even though not all dormitories have known clusters, authorities aim to apply the same measures across the board, with social distancing measures strictly enforced and no “free mixing” among workers.
The third approach involves relocating about 7,000 workers who are well and are in essential services, Teo added. These workers were moved to separate facilities including military camps, exhibition centres, floating hotels, and empty housing blocks.
What’s the situation in the dorms now, and how do migrant workers feel?
Local media reports have previously highlighted poor living conditions in some dormitories, ranging from kitchens infested with cockroaches to overflowing urinals, but the manpower ministry has over the past weeks said living conditions have improved.Cleaning, waste management and sanitation efforts have been ramped up, and a dedicated team comprising 380 to 400 personnel from the Singapore Armed Forces and the Singapore Police Force has been deployed to work with dormitory operators to ensure timely food delivery. Medical posts have also been set up at dormitories to look after workers who exhibit symptoms.
Still, Bangladeshi workers who were interviewed by local media have expressed their fears about the virus as more dormitories were hit. One of the interviewees said they were now unable to go to other workers’ rooms or other floors within the dormitories, and most of them were either on their phones with loved ones or reading books.
A dormitory block housing migrant workers at the North Coast Lodge. Photo: EPA
How have Singaporeans reacted?
The drastic spike in cases among migrant workers has led to some xenophobic comments online, including a letter published by Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao on April 13.The letter, written by a reader, urged citizens not to blame the Singapore government entirely for the worsening situation, adding that migrant workers should take responsibility for their poor personal hygiene.
Even though some netizens agreed with the points raised, others criticised the writer’s remarks and said they were a reflection of how poorly most Singaporeans treated migrant workers – even though they were a vital part of Singapore’s growth and economic boom.
Human rights activist Kirsten Han wrote in a recent commentary: “Singapore’s government is often praised, domestically and internationally, for its planning and foresight … but recent developments have demonstrated that you can’t have foresight for things you refuse to see.”
The opposition Singapore Democratic Party also weighed in, with leader Chee Soon Juan in a Facebook video pointing out that national development minister Wong had visited the dormitories in early February with manpower minister Teo, saying at the time that there would be tighter monitoring of workers.“If there was really tighter monitoring and enforcement, why did they also not ensure that steps were taken to prevent the situation from deteriorating? Warning signs were flashing,” Chee said.
Meanwhile, migrant groups have sprung into action to help the workers in lockdown, and a swell of community initiatives have helped pool resources to donate food, masks and money to them.
Others have started volunteering as interpreters to assist doctors attending to Bangladeshi patients, with one graduate from the National University of Singapore, Sudesna Roy Chowdhury, later building a translation portal for medical teams treating migrant workers.
Half of Singapore's migrant workers in dormitories have had COVID-19
Migrant workers gather on the balcony of a company dormitory in Singapore, April 2020. /Reuters
Nearly half of Singapore's migrant workers residing in dormitories have had COVID-19, according to the government, indicating the virus spread much more widely among those living in these accommodations than the official case tally shows.
Singapore has reported more than 58,000 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started, with the vast majority occurring in the cramped dormitories that house mainly South Asian low-wage workers.
But the government said on Tuesday that while a total of 54,505 workers had tested positive for the virus using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests as of Sunday, an additional 98,289 had tested positive using serology tests. PCR tests diagnose current or new infections and serology tests indicate past infection.
The prevalence rate of COVID-19 in the dormitories is currently 47 percent, including the serology test results, the manpower ministry said in a statement. Singapore includes only positive results from confirmatory PCR tests in its case count as per the World Health Organization's criterion.
Outside the dormitories, the virus's prevalence rate in Singapore was about 0.25 percent based on a serology sampling study of 1,600 people, according to a health ministry official.
"This is not surprising as many migrant workers did not have any symptoms, and thus would not have sought treatment and received a PCR test in the process," the ministry said.
Authorities are still completing serology tests for about 65,000 workers living in dormitories who have not taken them before.
While most countries only do serology testing on a sampling basis to estimate the prevalence of infections in a population, Singapore is conducting them on all the migrant workers living in the dormitories.
Singapore has reported only a handful of local cases of COVID-19 over the last two months. It had the world's lowest fatality rate from the virus with 29 deaths.
Some other Asian countries, such as South Korea and Japan, are facing an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
South Korea's Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 1,078 new coronavirus cases as of midnight Tuesday, setting a new record since the start of the pandemic.
The country's officials have ordered the closure of schools in Seoul and surrounding areas starting Tuesday. They've also been building a new temporary testing site in the capital city.
Japan is facing a third wave of coronavirus infections and the waves are getting higher each time. The country has 184,713 confirmed cases with 2,581 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.
MOM apologises to ex-DJ Jade Rasif for saying her account of maid's Covid-19 scare was 'inaccurate'
Ms Jade Rasif had raised concerns over her domestic worker being released early from stay-home notice.PHOTOS: JADE RASIF/INSTAGRAM
Natalie Tan
MAY 23, 2021
SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has apologised to former DJ Jade Rasif for saying that her account of her domestic worker's Covid-19 scare was “inaccurate”.
In a Facebook post on Saturday night (May 22), MOM said it was retracting its point about Ms Rasif’s account and redacting the word “inaccurate” from its post last Monday.
“We note that the use of the word ‘inaccurate’ and one of the points in our 17 May FB post could have portrayed Ms Rasif to be providing an inaccurate account on the Quarantine Order investigation,” the ministry said in its post.
“She shared with us that this had affected her negatively. We would like to extend our apologies to her for this.”
Ms Rasif’s posts on Instagram and Facebook last Sunday detailed how her domestic helper had been discharged on her third day of stay-home notice (SHN), only to test positive for Covid-19 two weeks later on April 30.
She had raised concerns about whether it was safe for her domestic worker to be released early from SHN, and questioned why she herself had not been put under quarantine.
MOM had initially disputed Ms Rasif’s claim that police officers had called her saying she was under investigation for breaching a quarantine order. The ministry had also said she could not be under investigation as she was never issued a quarantine order.
Ms Rasif then posted Instagram stories last Thursday with screenshots and audio recordings of communications between her and MOM that appeared to contradict parts of MOM’s May 17 statement.
She included a recording of a phone call in which a man, whom Ms Rasif said was MOM “management”, can be heard laughing after Ms Rasif raises concerns about the ministry’s statement.
MOM’s post on Saturday said: “We understand that the police have since clarified with Ms Rasif on the purpose of their calls, and that she is not being investigated for any breach of quarantine orders.”
The ministry also retracted its claim that it had reached out to Ms Rasif’s family on a complaint made against an ambulance driver, whom Ms Rasif alleged had texted her an expletive.
It also said it had called Ms Rasif and discussed the way its officers had handled a call with her last Tuesday.
In its Facebook post last Monday, MOM explained that Ms Rasif’s domestic worker was assessed to be a recovered Covid-19 patient and no longer infectious. She was discharged from isolation on May 9.Ms Rasif, who is a healthcare worker, told The Straits Times: “I feel vindicated... I’m very satisfied with the apology, and their statement. I’m very happy that MOM is actually looking into things and looking to tighten (its processes).
"I can (now) move on with my life, hopefully in peace. I have never called out the Government, and I have no intention of doing so going forward."
"Experts"
All travellers from India must now isolate for seven days at a residence after spending 14 days at a dedicated facility.ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Joyce Teo
Senior Health Correspondent
APR 22, 2021
SINGAPORE - Requiring all travellers from India to be isolated for 21 instead of 14 days, would help strengthen Singapore's defences against a new double mutant variant that appears to be more infections, experts said.
But they added that it is not yet necessary to ban flights from India - as some countries have done - or tighten guidelines on social and other gatherings.
Singapore announced new safety measures on Tuesday, including fewer approvals for foreigners who are not permanent residents coming in from India, which is experiencing a second wave believed to be fuelled by a variant with a double mutation.
All travellers from India must now isolate for seven days at a residence after spending 14 days at a dedicated facility for those serving Stay-Home Notices (SHN)
"A 14-day quarantine or SHN would detect more than 98 per cent of Covid-19 cases, including those who were infected while on the plane," said Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, the vice-dean of global health at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
"A 21-day quarantine backed by specific tests would detect virtually all cases. However, that would impose a significant mental and financial cost" to the traveller.
The new measures have come amid a recent rise in locally-transmitted cases and as a new three-person cluster here has just been linked to a 43-year-old Indian national who was "probably reinfected" in India.
The work pass holder, who was asymptomatic, had tested positive on arrival from India on Apr 2 but was discharged after a few days as he was considered no longer infectious. But he went on to infect his sister-in-law and her husband.
Associate Professor Alex Cook, vice-dean of research from the same school as Prof Hsu, said the positive swab result could mean that he was infectious or had recently recovered from an infection.
A serology test to look for Covid-19 antibodies was then done and the man tested positive, meaning that he was infectious at least two weeks ago. But it is now clear that he could have been infected sometime back and then reinfected recently, and hence tested positive on both tests.
Prof Cook said that this shows that it's vital to assess the interpretation of the combination of a positive swab and serology tests, given that it can be a reinfection case, and continued vigilance is key.
India's surging outbreak has prompted places such as Hong Kong and New Zealand to ban flights.
Infectious disease expert Leong Hoe Nam said that while banning flights is easy, it is about achieving a balance, as there's also the need to support the economy and be compassionate in allowing family members to come to visit.
Flight bans provide just short-term relief, said Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
S'pore tightens SHN measures for travellers from India; expert weighs in | THE BIG STORY
"What I suspect ... is that these new variants that have emerged in one country are in fact already circulating in other countries."
It's better to prevent virus variants from going on to seed uncontrollable community outbreaks with a comprehensive strategy that includes stricter border controls for travellers from India.
"This, together with the repeated testing that will be applied to such travellers, will greatly increase our ability to reduce any leakage into the community, such as what we have seen last week," said Prof Teo.
He added that the 14-day quarantine was never able to catch 100 per cent of the cases: "We know from the epidemiological data that there are people whose incubation period actually extends beyond 14 days, just that the chance of this happening is low."
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry is making easier for travellers from Hong Kong to come here as the Covid-19 situation there has improved. They will need to be isolated for seven days, instead of 14, and carried out their place of residence, if suitable.
Dr Leong added that as the virus adapts to human hosts, it will mutate and more cases can be expected here.
So, it boils down to "each and every one of us" doing our part, from using SafeEntry, TraceTogether to getting vaccinated, to create a robust, tight and effective block against the virus, he said.
21-day SHN in S'pore will pick up virtually all Covid-19 cases from India: Experts
All travellers from India must now isolate for seven days at a residence after spending 14 days at a dedicated facility.ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Joyce Teo
Senior Health Correspondent
APR 22, 2021
SINGAPORE - Requiring all travellers from India to be isolated for 21 instead of 14 days, would help strengthen Singapore's defences against a new double mutant variant that appears to be more infections, experts said.
But they added that it is not yet necessary to ban flights from India - as some countries have done - or tighten guidelines on social and other gatherings.
Singapore announced new safety measures on Tuesday, including fewer approvals for foreigners who are not permanent residents coming in from India, which is experiencing a second wave believed to be fuelled by a variant with a double mutation.
All travellers from India must now isolate for seven days at a residence after spending 14 days at a dedicated facility for those serving Stay-Home Notices (SHN)
"A 14-day quarantine or SHN would detect more than 98 per cent of Covid-19 cases, including those who were infected while on the plane," said Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, the vice-dean of global health at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
"A 21-day quarantine backed by specific tests would detect virtually all cases. However, that would impose a significant mental and financial cost" to the traveller.
The new measures have come amid a recent rise in locally-transmitted cases and as a new three-person cluster here has just been linked to a 43-year-old Indian national who was "probably reinfected" in India.
The work pass holder, who was asymptomatic, had tested positive on arrival from India on Apr 2 but was discharged after a few days as he was considered no longer infectious. But he went on to infect his sister-in-law and her husband.
Associate Professor Alex Cook, vice-dean of research from the same school as Prof Hsu, said the positive swab result could mean that he was infectious or had recently recovered from an infection.
A serology test to look for Covid-19 antibodies was then done and the man tested positive, meaning that he was infectious at least two weeks ago. But it is now clear that he could have been infected sometime back and then reinfected recently, and hence tested positive on both tests.
Prof Cook said that this shows that it's vital to assess the interpretation of the combination of a positive swab and serology tests, given that it can be a reinfection case, and continued vigilance is key.
India's surging outbreak has prompted places such as Hong Kong and New Zealand to ban flights.
Infectious disease expert Leong Hoe Nam said that while banning flights is easy, it is about achieving a balance, as there's also the need to support the economy and be compassionate in allowing family members to come to visit.
Flight bans provide just short-term relief, said Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
S'pore tightens SHN measures for travellers from India; expert weighs in | THE BIG STORY
"If such flight bans were successful, we would have seen a much smaller Covid-19 footprint globally, given the number of flight bans and border closures in the early months of 2020," he said."What I suspect ... is that these new variants that have emerged in one country are in fact already circulating in other countries."
It's better to prevent virus variants from going on to seed uncontrollable community outbreaks with a comprehensive strategy that includes stricter border controls for travellers from India.
"This, together with the repeated testing that will be applied to such travellers, will greatly increase our ability to reduce any leakage into the community, such as what we have seen last week," said Prof Teo.
He added that the 14-day quarantine was never able to catch 100 per cent of the cases: "We know from the epidemiological data that there are people whose incubation period actually extends beyond 14 days, just that the chance of this happening is low."
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry is making easier for travellers from Hong Kong to come here as the Covid-19 situation there has improved. They will need to be isolated for seven days, instead of 14, and carried out their place of residence, if suitable.
"Ultimately, these are judgment calls based on data on the incubation period of the virus and the socioeconomic impact of longer Stay-Home Notices," said Prof Hsu.Dr Leong added that as the virus adapts to human hosts, it will mutate and more cases can be expected here.
So, it boils down to "each and every one of us" doing our part, from using SafeEntry, TraceTogether to getting vaccinated, to create a robust, tight and effective block against the virus, he said.
And that's how the Delta variant became the most common covid-19 strain in Singapore
Singapore has taken a risk-based approach in managing its borders from the start, Mr Lawrence Wong said.PHOTO: ST FILE
Salma Khalik
Senior Health Correspondent
MAY 4, 2021
SINGAPORE - As a small country that is not resource rich, Singapore cannot afford to shut its borders for a long time, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (May 4).
Mr Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, was explaining why Singapore did not close its border to India earlier given the raging outbreak there.
"We are small… We need migrant workers to build our homes," he said at a briefing by the task force. Foreign workers are also needed for a range of other essential services, including caring for the elderly.
"It's really very hard for us to close our borders permanently," he said. "Instead, we've always taken a risk-based approach in managing our borders from the start."
This involves controlling the number of arrivals. He said the overall number coming in has been going down, even before restrictions on arrivals from India kicked in.
He added: "We've already become very tight, to the point that the backlog of applications has been growing… Many projects have been suffering from delays, as all of us know.
"More recently when we restricted the flow of workers from India and the entire South Indian continent… it means considerable delays will be added to all of our projects.
"Some of our housing projects may now be delayed by up to a year or more. So it does come at a considerable cost to Singaporeans."
Furthermore, Mr Wong said, migrant workers who come in are isolated and "we've been progressively tightening that regime over the past few months".
They are also tested more regularly.
In spite of all measures, Mr Wong said there will be leaks into the community from time to time. This can happen even in a country like China with its very tight border measures, he added.
So there cannot be sole reliance on border measures, he said.
"We have to make use of other tools at our disposal," he said "If we do all of these well, then we can control the spread of the infection in our community."
As for visitors who tested negative, but later test positive when they want to leave the country, Mr Wong said there are two possibilities.
One is they could have been infected in the community while in Singapore. The other is that it is an older infection and they are "intermittent shedders" of virus particles. If so, they are less likely to be infectious.
Unlike large resource-rich countries, Singapore cannot afford to close its borders for long: Lawrence Wong
Singapore has taken a risk-based approach in managing its borders from the start, Mr Lawrence Wong said.PHOTO: ST FILE
Salma Khalik
Senior Health Correspondent
MAY 4, 2021
SINGAPORE - As a small country that is not resource rich, Singapore cannot afford to shut its borders for a long time, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (May 4).
Mr Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, was explaining why Singapore did not close its border to India earlier given the raging outbreak there.
"We are small… We need migrant workers to build our homes," he said at a briefing by the task force. Foreign workers are also needed for a range of other essential services, including caring for the elderly.
"It's really very hard for us to close our borders permanently," he said. "Instead, we've always taken a risk-based approach in managing our borders from the start."
This involves controlling the number of arrivals. He said the overall number coming in has been going down, even before restrictions on arrivals from India kicked in.
He added: "We've already become very tight, to the point that the backlog of applications has been growing… Many projects have been suffering from delays, as all of us know.
"More recently when we restricted the flow of workers from India and the entire South Indian continent… it means considerable delays will be added to all of our projects.
"Some of our housing projects may now be delayed by up to a year or more. So it does come at a considerable cost to Singaporeans."
Furthermore, Mr Wong said, migrant workers who come in are isolated and "we've been progressively tightening that regime over the past few months".
They are also tested more regularly.
In spite of all measures, Mr Wong said there will be leaks into the community from time to time. This can happen even in a country like China with its very tight border measures, he added.
So there cannot be sole reliance on border measures, he said.
"We have to make use of other tools at our disposal," he said "If we do all of these well, then we can control the spread of the infection in our community."
As for visitors who tested negative, but later test positive when they want to leave the country, Mr Wong said there are two possibilities.
One is they could have been infected in the community while in Singapore. The other is that it is an older infection and they are "intermittent shedders" of virus particles. If so, they are less likely to be infectious.
Ong Ye Kung: Travellers from India stay in third country before flying to SG assume lower risk profile
by Correspondent27/04/2021
At a press briefing announcing the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble yesterday (26 Apr), Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung was asked about Indian nationals flying in from other countries to bypass the current travel ban flying directly from India.
Ong replied that a traveller who has left India but stayed in another country before flying to Singapore would not have the same level of risk as someone who came directly from India.
The soon-to-be Health Minister said that anyone staying in one place long enough would assume the risk profile of that place. “I think, as a matter of general infection control knowledge, regardless of your nationality, if you stay in a place long enough, you assume the risk profile of that place,” he said.
“You may be from another country, but once you stay in a new country for a while, you assume a new risk profile.”
“But if your policy is to target risk, then for someone from a high-risk country to move to a lower risk country, stay there for some time, and after that remain non COVID-positive, remain negative, and then come to Singapore … they have lowered the risk in that process,” added Mr Ong.
In recent days, many Indian nationals on long-term and short-term passes have tried to use a third country to stay for 14 days before flying off to enter Singapore.
For example, Nepali media reported last Wed (21 Apr) that Indian nationals have been flying into Nepal, packing the hotels in Kathmandu before flying off to their destination countries including Singapore (‘Indian nationals use Nepal to circumvent travel bans resulting in crowding in hotels at Kathmandu‘).
Singapore starting banning travellers except Singapore citizens and PRs to enter here if they have been in India in the past 14 days. The ban started at 11.59pm last Friday (23 Apr). This includes visitors who transit in India and those who had earlier obtained approval for entry into Singapore.
The border measure was implemented amid a spike in COVID-19 infections in India. On Monday, India’s daily coronavirus cases set a new global record for the fifth straight day. With 352,991 new cases, India’s total caseload has crossed 17 million. Deaths rose by a new daily record of 2,812 to reach a total of 195,123.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health confirmed that there were 23 imported cases who had travelled directly from India. They included Indian nationals and PRs. They also included 7 Singapore citizens. Another 6 Indian nationals who were tested positive came from third countries Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Safe distancing enforcement?
Forum: Restaurant mistaken for nightlife venue that pivoted to F&B
JUL 20, 2021
I opened the restaurant of my dreams in January, jumping at the opportunity because of favourable rent when we took over what was previously an ailing nightclub venue in a prime downtown area.
The past six months have naturally been full of highs and lows, with challenges ranging from pivoting to delivery to the usual ironing out of kinks in any new operation.
Moments after the revised regulations came out last week (not even a week after we had painstakingly revised our dining floor plan to seat groups of five), we were visited by plain-clothes members of the Singapore Police Force (SPF), asking us to shut down our business operations by 10pm on a busy Friday night.
We were given less than an hour to do so. When I probed further, I received three responses - "Haven't you seen the new regulations?", "Didn't SFA (Singapore Food Agency) send you a message?" and "You are on the list that I have".
The police officers then handed us a flier and walked off. I looked at the flier only to realise that it was addressed to "nightlife venues that pivoted to F&B establishments".
I did not close my restaurant that Friday night because it was clear that the actions were a result of incorrect information.
The officer in charge returned at 10pm to shut us down and then left. No resolution was reached that night.
While I fully understood why we might have been put on that list, I expected SFA and SPF to have done their homework before starting their sting operation.
From an Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority BizFile+ account and bank accounts, to changing the use of the property and having an SFA licence, all our documents were new.
A simple search would have shown that we were in no way related to the previous occupants of the unit.
Beyond that, a large open kitchen was the first thing that greeted the police officers as they walked through our doors, and at every single table people were consuming full meals (not bar snacks). A masquerading nightlife venue we certainly are not.
My team and I endured an anxiety-riddled 24 hours, wondering whether to shut down the restaurant since none of the relevant agencies was contactable over the weekend.
We eventually decided that the financial burden from closing on the busiest Saturday night in months would be too high, and decided to stay open.
I got a call from the police only after 8pm that Saturday, officially permitting us to open.
It has been blow after blow for the food and beverage industry in Singapore, and while I understand that many of the measures taken are necessary, the situation could have been handled better.
Goh Tong Hann
Forum: Police sorry for wrongly asking restaurant to close
July 22, 2021We refer to Mr Goh Tong Hann's letter, "Restaurant mistaken for nightlife venue that pivoted to F&B" (July 20).
We apologise to Mr Goh for the unpleasant experience, and the anxiety that was caused.
Our officers had wrongly advised Mr Goh to cease his restaurant's operations on the night of July 16.
It was mistaken to be a pivoted nightlife establishment that was required to suspend operations for two weeks from July 16 to July 30, when in fact, it had taken over the premises formerly occupied by a nightlife establishment and is now operating as a restaurant.
Upon realising the error, we immediately notified Mr Goh the following day to clarify.
We also met Mr Goh in person and he has accepted our explanation.
We will tighten our processes.
We thank Mr Goh for his feedback.
Brenda Ong (Superintendent)
Assistant Director (Public Communications Division)
Public Affairs Department
Singapore Police Force
Why differentiated Covid-19 measures for vaccinated people in Singapore are on hold
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Rei Kurohi
JUL 21, 2021
SINGAPORE - Differentiated safe management measures for vaccinated and unvaccinated people will be put on hold during the phase two (heightened alert) period from Thursday (July 22) till Aug 18.
Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong, who co-chairs the task force tackling Covid-19, said during a virtual press conference on Tuesday the authorities would consider reintroducing the differentiated measures once Singapore hits higher vaccination rates, or when the Covid-19 situation stabilises.
"In time to come, as we progressively open up our economy and our community, we will introduce a differentiated approach.
"For those who are vaccinated, they will then be allowed to do a lot more activities because they're protected," Mr Gan said.
He added that this could mean additional precautions for unvaccinated seniors, including those who are not eligible for vaccination due to medical reasons. Unvaccinated people may not be able to participate in activities that carry a higher risk, Mr Gan said.
The minister explained that the differentiated approach was previously adopted when the Covid-19 situation was under control.
But the rising number of cases in recent weeks reflects a significant level of transmission in the community.
While vaccinated individuals are protected from severe illness, they can still get infected and pass on the virus to others, including vulnerable seniors, Mr Gan said.
Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said continuing with the differentiated measures would likely have caused cases to continue to rise sharply.
"There will be many unvaccinated persons who catch the virus and who will fall sick subsequently, especially amongst the seniors, and that's why we decided that it is better to not continue with that vaccine-differentiated strategy," he said.
Mr Wong added that the strategy now is to scale back activities temporarily and slow transmission in order to buy time.
"After we have gone through this period for the next few weeks, we will review and continue to look at the situation.
"And at some point in time, once the situation has stabilised, we do intend fully to continue with this strategy of vaccine differentiation where those who are fully vaccinated will be able to engage in more activities."
Forum: If safe distancing ambassadors can't help, what can public do?
July 22, 2021
Despite the recent spike in Covid-19 cases, I continue to see people who are not cooperating with measures such as social distancing and wearing masks.
I recently saw a group of five seniors seated at a makeshift table outside Yuhua Village Market and Food Centre. Two of them had half-filled glasses of beer, while the other three were talking. They occasionally looked over at the safe distancing ambassadors (SDAs) on duty at another corner of the market.
Passers-by seemed to be annoyed with their behaviour but ignored them.
Out of concern, I approached the SDAs.
When I asked whether the SDAs could request these seniors to comply with safe distancing measures, one of them said that it was beyond his scope of duty and suggested that I lodge a police report of an unlawful assembly in order to disperse these seniors.
One SDA told me that members of the public have more power than SDAs to enforce the rules on citizens who are not complying with safe management measures. I was speechless.
What can members of the public do to help when they encounter similar incidents?
Ho See Ling
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