Netizens berate Education Minister Ong Ye Kung for not shutting schools amidst increasingly severe coronavirus situation

[micromachine]

23 March 2020 - the school term fully resumed despite the current escalating COVID-19 crisis ensnaring Singapore (on this day itself, 54 new cases were confirmed by the Ministry of Health, amongst them a PCF Sparkletots teacher). Several precautionary measures were undertaken by the Education Ministry henceforth - these included mandating that teachers and students who recently returned from overseas trips serve a 14-day leave of absence, implementing exam-style seating in classrooms alongside safe distancing protocols at canteens and general play areas, as well as ramping up cleaning routines on school premises.

The day before, Education minister Ong Ye Kung also took to Facebook to proffer three main reasons surrounding the final decision to reopen schools. In his own words:

"Let me lay out MOE’s thinking on why school will open tomorrow, but with more precautionary measures. There are three key considerations.

First, science. With the virus being around for several months now, there is a body of scientific evidence showing that COVID-19 does not affect the young very much as compared to adults. Parents will be familiar with this concept, as this is the case for other diseases such as chicken pox.

Neither is there evidence to show that the young are vectors or spreaders of the virus. The reverse appears to be the case, where the young get infected by adults at home. This is the advice of Prof Dale Fisher, Group Director of Medicine at NUHS and Chair of the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.

......Second, disruption. Closure of schools will disrupt many lives, especially parents who are both working, with no domestic help, and have limited childcare options. We are particularly concerned about parents who are healthcare workers and providers of essential services.

Keeping our healthcare system strong is paramount in the fight against COVID-19. Our frontline warriors will be much more assured if their children are in school, meaningfully engaged, in a safe and healthy environment.

......Third, precautions. Notwithstanding that the young are more resilient to COVID-19, there is no place for complacency. We have consulted our healthcare experts and put in place many significant additional precautionary measures to safeguard the entire system, to maintain the calm situation we enjoyed before the March holidays."

Still, many netizens remain unimpressed, as clearly evidenced from how they took turns ripping into Mr Ong left, right and centre. An online petition calling for a complete closure of schools across the country which has since garnered more than 10K signatures bears further testament to the public uproar erupting over what has fast become a scorching hot potato. Anyways, provided herein is a non-exhaustive capture of the average Singaporean's sentiment:

==================================

By Le Gill:

"My kids have asthma. And I'm positive lots of other kids are asthmatic too. They suffer complications just from catching the common flu. My child was warded in the ICU for almost 2 weeks because he was infected with the rhinovirus (a common flu fyi). Contrary to what the minister seeks to suggest, not all kids are resilient! Bad decision putting children at risk and then deciding the subsequent course of action based on what happens next. Is "Safety First" merely a slogan as far as the authorities are concerned?"


==================================

By Voon Yee:

"I have seen primary students coughing vigorously during recess time. I have also seen other students who simply wiped mucus dripping from noses with their shirts!!!! I don’t think schools are really that safe!"


==================================
By Anand Thiagarajan:

"Truth be told, the science on COVID-19 and its associated virulence is evolving - children do get infected and they could contribute to the spread. Personally speaking, it is very difficult to assert with confidence that keeping schools open is the right thing to do in terms of infection control ( See: "Coronavirus looks different in kids than in adults" by The Washington Post). In fact asymptomatic or mildly ill kids might slip under the radar, thus causing new infections to transpire. The majority of affected nations allude to this possibility, hence they have closed or are in the process of closing schools as a demonstration of prudence. It’s about time that Singapore did the same."

A lot more at https://www.domainofexperts.com/2020/03/netizens-berate-education-minister-ong.html

 

[Confuseous]

https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/20...for-reopening-schools-amid-covid-19-outbreak/

 

[JohnTan]

You guys need to chill. Come sing along with Minister Ong!

 

[micromachine]

FUCK YOU FAGGOT TAN.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

If parents are soo worried. Why dont they take their kids out of school? Why wait for gahmen actions?

 

[songsongjurong]

MOE jist sore.that their hordes of teachers will still get paid.for doing nothin... everything had to be dollars and cents to them..

 

[CPTMiller]

If parents are soo worried. Why dont they take their kids out of school? Why wait for gahmen actions?

You are right.
Parents should not wait for government action
But that does not mean government should just talk and no action

 

[nayr69sg]

If parents are soo worried. Why dont they take their kids out of school? Why wait for gahmen actions?

Cos they want to keep business going. Do you know how much damage to the economy closing schools will do?

People living pay check to pay check will suffer! They will starve to death in Singapore!

That's why they wont do it. You should be supporting them! How come you changed tune?

Hey seriously I do want Singapore to stay open. And for the virus to spread like wildfire so every Singaporeans gets it at the same time. I really want to see what you propose to happen in Singapore.

Then Singapore can write articles again to teach the world on how they successfully handled covid19 again.

Also will be good for your business and you donf suffer financially.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

You are right.
Parents should not wait for government action
But that does not mean government should just talk and no action

Wat does school closures hope to achieve?

 

[nayr69sg]

You are right.
Parents should not wait for government action
But that does not mean government should just talk and no action

Singapore must stand firm in the beliefs.

NCID will take care of covid19.

Dont be spineless. Go teach the world how to handle the outbreak then do what the rest of the world does anyway?

Fuck lah.

Imagine your priest tell you dont have sex before marriage. Wear condom. Then he and his family screws around raw.

 

[nayr69sg]

Wat does school closures hope to achieve?

Nothing! There is no covid19 in schools. Teachers are clear kids are clear.

In fact there are no covid19 cases in Singapore. It is all a hoax.

 

[glockman]

Wat does school closures hope to achieve?

Social distancing of our younglings. Prevent them from infecting one another. If they do, they bring the virus home to their folks. Then the entire family is fucked.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Nothing! There is no covid19 in schools. Teachers are clear kids are clear.

In fact there are no covid19 cases in Singapore. It is all a hoax.

Well said n herd immunity is the best way forward

What is herd immunity and could it slow the spread of coronavirus COVID-19 around the world? - ABC News
Posted 5d

Some governments, including the UK and the Netherlands, have discussed pursuing herd immunity to combat coronavirus.(Reuters: Athit Perawongmetha)
Share
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to worsen, some governments have started discussing how "herd immunity" could be used to stop the virus in its tracks.
The UK's chief science adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said on March 13 that one of "the key things" Britain needed to do was "build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission".
Sweden has made tests available only for hospital staff and at-risk groups.
And while Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has closed schools and restaurants, he says a total lockdown in his country probably won't work.
Instead he says the Netherlands is looking at a "controlled distribution" of COVID-19 "among groups that are least at risk".
But not everyone is happy about this approach, with some scientists in the UK and Australia describing it as a dangerous farce.
Here's how herd immunity works, and why it's currently causing so much controversy.
Herd immunity can stop an outbreak
Herd immunity means that a large portion of a population becomes infected with a disease, but many recover and are then immune to it.
An outbreak eventually fizzles out because there are fewer viable hosts for the virus to infect.
It's considered one of the main ways to fight an outbreak, along with extreme isolation measures, testing and tracing potential cases, and developing a vaccine.
Historians believe the second wave of the Spanish flu pandemic in mid-1918 was the most devastating because few people became immune to it during the first wave.

There were multiple waves of the Spanish Flu outbreak over several years.(State Library Of Queensland)
Britain's chief science advisor said herd immunity would prevent a similar situation if coronavirus was to disappear but then re-emerge.
Sir Patrick said 60 per cent of Britons — or at least 36 million people — would need to catch COVID-19 for this to work.
The UK Government was eventually forced to backpedal on these comments after an outcry from scientists.
"Herd immunity is not our goal or policy, it's a scientific concept. Our policy is to protect lives and to beat this virus," Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.
Could herd immunity work for coronavirus?
Scientists have been quick to point out that it's not yet known whether people who survive COVID-19 are then resistant to it.
Japanese authorities said on March 16 that a man who recovered from the disease tested positive for COVID-19 again several weeks later.

A man who recovered from coronavirus during the Diamond Princess quarantine tested positive again two weeks later, according to Japanese authorities.(Reuters Via Kyodo)
That could have been a testing error.
But Diego Silva, a lecturer in bioethics at the University of Sydney, says we still don't know everything about this virus and the body's response to it.
"Allowing a virus to spread in your country when you don't know whether, or how long it takes for, people to become susceptible a second time to the COVID-19 virus is a risk," he said.
Herd immunity also accepts that some people will die
When discussing herd immunity, the Dutch Prime Minister said vulnerable people would need to be protected.
"This assumes you can actually shield those at risk in the first place, and it's not clear to me that you can," Dr Silva warns.

Public health experts say letting the virus infect healthy, strong people puts older, vulnerable people at great risk.(Reuters: Hannah McKay)
Scientists have pointed out that if COVID-19 is allowed to spread, there will be fewer younger people to look after the vulnerable.
"Intentionally allowing the virus to spread requires accepting that people will die in the short term, in part due to hospitals and the health system being overwhelmed," Dr Silva says.
British virologist Professor John Oxford from Queen Mary University of London said letting the virus spread also takes governments into murky ethical waters.
"I feel nerve-wracked about it, I think it's kind of a huge experiment when you're indulging letting the virus go like this, rip through the community. People will die. What will their relatives say?
"The whole thing is a bit of a farce — and a dangerous farce."
The UK has abandoned its more relaxed approach to coronavirus after researchers warned that 250,000 people would die as a result.
The Imperial College London told Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a briefing at Number 10 that trying to achieve herd immunity by allowing the virus to spread was unsafe.
So should herd immunity be part of our coronavirus strategy?
Most scientists agree that countries should be trying multiple approaches to contain coronavirus, including social distancing, border controls, and pursuing a vaccine.

The UK has shut down mass gatherings after researchers warned that allowing them to continue could kill 250,000.(Reuters: John Clifton)
"With any infectious disease, particularly respiratory ones such as coronaviruses, a primary public health goal is herd immunity," says Dr Silva.
But Dr Silva says a vaccine, which could be 18 months away, is one of the best and safest ways to do that.
"One thing is to introduce a vaccine to build up community resistance with an eye toward herd immunity. The other is to let a gnarly virus happily spread about," he says.
University of Sydney Bioethics Professor Angus Dawson says the herd immunity debate is confusing people, and governments should instead focus on "coordinated action".
"We should instead be introducing much more rigorous social distancing than we have seen so far," he says.
"This pandemic is a serious health threat. The protection of the most vulnerable, now, should be the highest priority, not some future theoretical benefit."
Social distancing to protect vulnerable people helps to flatten the curve of the pandemic, spreading the number of infections over a longer period of time.
Not only does this help ensure the healthcare system doesn't become overwhelmed, but it builds up herd immunity in a controlled way over time.
The UK's slow response to the coronavirus outbreak should be a warning to other nations, according to Professor John Oxford.
He says a wartime effort will now be required to avoid a health disaster in Britain.
"It's like the great COVID-19 war. Your grandson will come along and say, 'what did you do in the great COVID war?' and you say, 'I did social distancing, I cut holidays', and you contributed," he says.
"If 50 million people contribute like that, I think we can wipe the virus out."

Question of whether to close schools divides medical experts
Posted 5d

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Social distancing of our younglings. Prevent them from infecting one another. If they do, they bring the virus home to their folks. Then the entire family is fucked.

The family dont go out? If soo kiasee the whole family should be quarantined

 

[nayr69sg]

Well said n herd immunity is the best way forward

What is herd immunity and could it slow the spread of coronavirus COVID-19 around the world? - ABC News
Posted 5d

Some governments, including the UK and the Netherlands, have discussed pursuing herd immunity to combat coronavirus.(Reuters: Athit Perawongmetha)
Share
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to worsen, some governments have started discussing how "herd immunity" could be used to stop the virus in its tracks.
The UK's chief science adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said on March 13 that one of "the key things" Britain needed to do was "build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission".
Sweden has made tests available only for hospital staff and at-risk groups.
And while Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has closed schools and restaurants, he says a total lockdown in his country probably won't work.
Instead he says the Netherlands is looking at a "controlled distribution" of COVID-19 "among groups that are least at risk".
But not everyone is happy about this approach, with some scientists in the UK and Australia describing it as a dangerous farce.
Here's how herd immunity works, and why it's currently causing so much controversy.
Herd immunity can stop an outbreak
Herd immunity means that a large portion of a population becomes infected with a disease, but many recover and are then immune to it.
An outbreak eventually fizzles out because there are fewer viable hosts for the virus to infect.
It's considered one of the main ways to fight an outbreak, along with extreme isolation measures, testing and tracing potential cases, and developing a vaccine.
Historians believe the second wave of the Spanish flu pandemic in mid-1918 was the most devastating because few people became immune to it during the first wave.

There were multiple waves of the Spanish Flu outbreak over several years.(State Library Of Queensland)
Britain's chief science advisor said herd immunity would prevent a similar situation if coronavirus was to disappear but then re-emerge.
Sir Patrick said 60 per cent of Britons — or at least 36 million people — would need to catch COVID-19 for this to work.
The UK Government was eventually forced to backpedal on these comments after an outcry from scientists.
"Herd immunity is not our goal or policy, it's a scientific concept. Our policy is to protect lives and to beat this virus," Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.
Could herd immunity work for coronavirus?
Scientists have been quick to point out that it's not yet known whether people who survive COVID-19 are then resistant to it.
Japanese authorities said on March 16 that a man who recovered from the disease tested positive for COVID-19 again several weeks later.

A man who recovered from coronavirus during the Diamond Princess quarantine tested positive again two weeks later, according to Japanese authorities.(Reuters Via Kyodo)
That could have been a testing error.
But Diego Silva, a lecturer in bioethics at the University of Sydney, says we still don't know everything about this virus and the body's response to it.
"Allowing a virus to spread in your country when you don't know whether, or how long it takes for, people to become susceptible a second time to the COVID-19 virus is a risk," he said.
Herd immunity also accepts that some people will die
When discussing herd immunity, the Dutch Prime Minister said vulnerable people would need to be protected.
"This assumes you can actually shield those at risk in the first place, and it's not clear to me that you can," Dr Silva warns.

Public health experts say letting the virus infect healthy, strong people puts older, vulnerable people at great risk.(Reuters: Hannah McKay)
Scientists have pointed out that if COVID-19 is allowed to spread, there will be fewer younger people to look after the vulnerable.
"Intentionally allowing the virus to spread requires accepting that people will die in the short term, in part due to hospitals and the health system being overwhelmed," Dr Silva says.
British virologist Professor John Oxford from Queen Mary University of London said letting the virus spread also takes governments into murky ethical waters.
"I feel nerve-wracked about it, I think it's kind of a huge experiment when you're indulging letting the virus go like this, rip through the community. People will die. What will their relatives say?
"The whole thing is a bit of a farce — and a dangerous farce."
The UK has abandoned its more relaxed approach to coronavirus after researchers warned that 250,000 people would die as a result.
The Imperial College London told Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a briefing at Number 10 that trying to achieve herd immunity by allowing the virus to spread was unsafe.
So should herd immunity be part of our coronavirus strategy?
Most scientists agree that countries should be trying multiple approaches to contain coronavirus, including social distancing, border controls, and pursuing a vaccine.

The UK has shut down mass gatherings after researchers warned that allowing them to continue could kill 250,000.(Reuters: John Clifton)
"With any infectious disease, particularly respiratory ones such as coronaviruses, a primary public health goal is herd immunity," says Dr Silva.
But Dr Silva says a vaccine, which could be 18 months away, is one of the best and safest ways to do that.
"One thing is to introduce a vaccine to build up community resistance with an eye toward herd immunity. The other is to let a gnarly virus happily spread about," he says.
University of Sydney Bioethics Professor Angus Dawson says the herd immunity debate is confusing people, and governments should instead focus on "coordinated action".
"We should instead be introducing much more rigorous social distancing than we have seen so far," he says.
"This pandemic is a serious health threat. The protection of the most vulnerable, now, should be the highest priority, not some future theoretical benefit."
Social distancing to protect vulnerable people helps to flatten the curve of the pandemic, spreading the number of infections over a longer period of time.
Not only does this help ensure the healthcare system doesn't become overwhelmed, but it builds up herd immunity in a controlled way over time.
The UK's slow response to the coronavirus outbreak should be a warning to other nations, according to Professor John Oxford.
He says a wartime effort will now be required to avoid a health disaster in Britain.
"It's like the great COVID-19 war. Your grandson will come along and say, 'what did you do in the great COVID war?' and you say, 'I did social distancing, I cut holidays', and you contributed," he says.
"If 50 million people contribute like that, I think we can wipe the virus out."

Question of whether to close schools divides medical experts
Posted 5d

Singapore should be once again world's leader and do this herd immunity approach.

Government should order all sinkies to go to USS! Have covid19 dispensers. All get at same time! Get over the crisis fastest! 2 weeks all done!

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Singapore should be once again world's leader and do this herd immunity approach.

Government should order all sinkies to go to USS! Have covid19 dispensers. All get at same time! Get over the crisis fastest! 2 weeks all done!

2 weeks all done is good news indeed

 

[nayr69sg]

The family dont go out? If soo kiasee the whole family should be quarantined

No. All families should immediately be given doses of covid19.

Singapore should manufacture covid19 dispensing kits. Send to every family.

Ask everyone to pump into their nostrils right away.

2 weeks later crisis is over.

This is your dream right?

 

[glockman]

The family dont go out? If soo kiasee the whole family should be quarantined

Families should be cutting down on unnecessary outings at this time. The government preaches social distancing. Kids like to play together, and they are too young to always remember to be disciplined at this time. Teenagers too. They have fuck care attitude, don't give them the chance to infect one another. I am concerned for my grandchildren, I hope you understand my worry.

 

[nayr69sg]

2 weeks all done is good news indeed

Harnor!

So how when you going to do your part? Quick go get yourself infected!

 

[nayr69sg]

Families should be cutting down on unnecessary outings at this time. The government preaches social distancing. Kids like to play together, and they are too young to always remember to be disciplined at this time. Teenagers too. They have fuck care attitude, don't give them the chance to infect one another. I am concerned for my grandchildren, I hope you understand my worry.

He doesn't understand lah. Business and money rank #1.