This is proof that PAP prioritises economic growth and $$$ above citizens' health

[LITTLEREDDOT]

PAP continued to allow Indian travellers in is because of construction projects
Are the completion of construction projects more important than the health of both citizens and non-citizens?
The construction projects can be delayed but the health of citizens cannot be compromised.
After vaccination and low covid-19 infection rates, masks need not be worn in the open air in Israel.
Singapore could have also gone this way given low infection rates and the completion of vaccination.
Instead, because of a few infectious inbound travellers from India, it looks like Sinkies will have to continue to wear masks even after vaccination is completed.
And vaccination is not 100% effective against the covid-19 virus.
So the PAP is putting citizens at risk by allowing infected travellers to come into contact with residents.
And wasting millions of dollars on vaccination.

S'pore to see further delays in housing projects from tighter Covid-19 curbs on migrant workers: Lawrence Wong

The construction sector will face further delays to building and housing projects already hampered by the pandemic.
PHOTO: ST FILE

Kok Yufeng

Apr 23, 2021

SINGAPORE - The move to ban long-term pass holders and short-term visitors from India from entering Singapore will have a major impact on the construction, marine and process (CMP) sectors here, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday (April 22).
The construction sector, especially, will face further delays to building and housing projects already hampered by the pandemic.
Hence, the Government is looking at how it can provide additional support for local small and medium-sized enterprises and contractors that will be hurt by the new restrictions, Mr Wong said at a press conference by the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19.
The additional support measures are being reviewed and will be announced when ready, he added.
"I seek Singaporeans' patience and understanding. If certain projects were to be delayed further, please understand why this has happened and know that we are doing this because of public health reasons," said Mr Wong, who co-chairs the taskforce.
"We hope that everyone will cooperate."


From 11.59pm on Friday (April 23), long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with a recent travel history to India will be barred from entering Singapore or transiting through the Republic.
This new restriction will also apply to those who have obtained prior approval for entry.
Second Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said at the press conference that the number of workers coming into Singapore "will definitely be affected". He did not provide specific figures.
"Given the magnitude of the number of projects that we have here locally, we would expect to see delays moving forward," he said.

"We are working across the board, between the Ministry of National Development, Ministry of Health (MOH), as well as the Ministry of Manpower, and with the support of the Ministry of Finance... to see how we can better support the industry."
It was reported earlier this month that 85 per cent of the 89 ongoing build-to-order projects face delays of six to nine months due to the pandemic, with 43,000 households affected.

Other public projects, including the construction of future MRT lines, have also been delayed by up to a year due to the manpower crunch and materials supply disruptions brought on by Covid-19.
Said Dr Tan: "The health of the workers within the dormitories, and also the public health of all of us as a nation is of paramount importance. We do not take such decisions lightly."
He added that the new travel restrictions allow Singapore to make sure its healthcare facilities do not get overwhelmed.
The majority of new arrivals to Singapore from India work in the CMP sectors and most stay in dormitories here. Mr Wong said companies in the CMP sectors are quite reliant on new arrivals of workers from India and will be the ones directly impacted.
"We are mindful of this," he said. "On Tuesday, when we tightened the inflow of workers, we already knew this would have an impact, but more so today with the complete freeze on arrivals."

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said the CMP sectors have been under great strain since the pandemic began and have been recovering at a much slower pace compared with other sectors.
Despite "great efforts" by firms in the three sectors to reduce their reliance on foreign manpower, the Government recognises the limitations that these firms face, he added.
"I want to assure our companies in the CMP sectors that the Government is looking into measures to provide support and relief in light of the latest developments... In the meantime, our economic agencies remain ready to work closely with all affected companies to help them through this challenging period."

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said the Government will work closely with trade associations in the built environment sector to support firms through this period, and help them with transformation.
He noted that property buyers will also be concerned about the possibility of further delays in the completion of their new homes, offices and commercial spaces.
He said: "We will work with the Housing and Development Board, private developers and construction companies to see how their projects can be safely brought back on track."

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

those waiting for bto sure damn pissed off
hdb resale market will pick up

 

[laksaboy]

Totalitarian regimes can only grow the economy by incessantly building infrastructure. Because there is no room for real innovation or creativity.

It can be something as simple as renovating the HDB carparks, upgrading/installing lifts at overhead bridges, widening the roads, sheltered walkways, playgrounds and fitness corners etc, to major projects such as enbloc property development, building new MRT stations/lines, building a new expressway, building an airport terminal etc.

And with all this construction, it is inevitable to increase the population to fully utilize the new facilities. You can't build a new estate of high-rise (40 storeys) HDB flats and expect to just let ghosts live in them.

 

[bobby]

If the construction industry factor in the FW levy, costs of building, housing & maintenance of dorms, Covid vaccinations, social problems...add these to their pay package and maybe local Singaporeans will be willing to work.

 

[batman1]

Briefly, the CECA is more important than the health and lives of sinkees.

 

[myfoot123]

Briefly, the CECA is more important than the health and lives of sinkees.

PAP economic growth bonus, GDP bonus and other self-serving bonuses will be affected without opening borders and makes drawing obscene salary unjustifiable with the Covit-19. PAP has no choice, but to trade the citizen's health in order to make joining PAP financially attractive.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: Concern for economic impact must be balanced against greater consequences​

MAY 20, 2021

I refer to the article "Shortfall of 130,000 workers if S'pore had shut borders" (May 19), which pointed to Singapore's reliance on migrant workers and the resulting huge shortage of workers if Singapore were to shut its borders.
The figures provided by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) do not provide a clear enough picture. They were based on the assumption that the borders were closed for one whole year, which is not practical and also not what citizens feel the Government should have done.
I agree with those who suggest that the Government should have taken pre-emptive measures by temporarily banning all flights from high-risk countries.
I urge MOM to reveal more granular statistics, so that we can see the impact on our economy if the Government had taken the above measures, and also acted earlier.
For example, while India's second wave of Covid-19 infections started early last month, Singapore banned visitors from India only on April 24.
The delayed reaction may have resulted in an increase in imported and community cases.

There was a similar lesson last year, when the first infection in the worker dormitories happened in January, but the affected dormitories were locked down only a few months later. In the end, the economic as well as non-economic impact on the nation was probably much greater than if earlier action had been taken.
While I understand the Government's concern about the economic impact, hesitation in making decisive decisions may bring greater economic consequences.

Yeo Chee Kean

 

[laksaboy]

There was a similar lesson last year, when the first infection in the worker dormitories happened in January, but the affected dormitories were locked down only a few months later. In the end, the economic as well as non-economic impact on the nation was probably much greater than if earlier action had been taken.
While I understand the Government's concern about the economic impact, hesitation in making decisive decisions may bring greater economic consequences.

Not hesitation. Reluctance. Big difference.

 

[batman1]

So what sinkees going to do about it ??? Nothing,just lan lan accept it. Thanks to the 61% !

 

[AhPuNeNe]

Briefly, the CECA is more important than the health and lives of sinkees.

 

[batman1]

Suay mak mak.

 

[shittypore]

Building infrastructure for past 60 over yrs, only see Familee and their Cronies get dirty rich, how cum Sinkies more and more are falling into the cracks as Pappies put it?

 

[batman1]

Building infrastructure for past 60 over yrs, only see Familee and their Cronies get dirty rich, how cum Sinkies more and more are falling into the cracks as Pappies put it?

Many dormitory bosses and construction company bosses are grassroots leaders.

 

[laksaboy]

Building infrastructure for past 60 over yrs, only see Familee and their Cronies get dirty rich, how cum Sinkies more and more are falling into the cracks as Pappies put it?

If you're totalitarian shithole, building infrastructure is your only reliable way to grow the economy.

Because you do not allow for differing opinions (POFMA!), therefore there is no innovation or creativity. You can forget about having a TSMC or Samsung or Tesla, or some great achievement in arts or literature.

It is also a self-fulfilling prophecy, since economic growth is valued above everything else, the education system is designed to churn out obedient workers. There are no aspirations above that.

Too bad Sinkies are still held hostage by the Familee. Once upon a time Taiwan was held hostage by the Chiangs. Then came along Lee Teng-hui who changed the status quo and the trajectory of Taiwan. I doubt any of the eunuchs within the PAP have the balls to do something similar.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: Protect employees by legislating need for rest outside working hours​

Sep 29, 2021

I find the habit of bosses sending after-hours messages and saying they do not expect anyone to reply immediately is just an excuse to cover up the exploitation of workers (Work-life balance: Practical ideas and a template to tackle those after-work messages, Sept 25).
Many bosses do not seem to respect the privacy and protected time of their employees after office hours just because the employees are working from home.
They e-mail, text or call the subordinates at night, on weekends and even during public holidays. Often, these calls are about trivial matters that could be settled the next working day.
Also, when an employee falls ill and is given medical leave, their superiors often wrongly assume they can carry on working from home.
This is far from the truth. In medicine, rest is part of the management of many diseases.
The authorities should protect the health of workers by legislating this need for rest. Many First World countries have similar laws. Bosses, managers and supervisors who are guilty of not giving employees enough rest should be punished.

Stress at work is a common cause of mental stress. Tasks and projects given after office hours or while employees are on medical leave can adversely affect the employee's mental health.
The workers often have no choice but to keep silent to safeguard their jobs.
The pandemic is stressful enough. We should take a firm stand against this abuse of workers.
Working beyond office hours deprives workers of their rest. Family life is disrupted. Productivity will fall. It is a vicious circle.
In the long run, the health of the entire nation will be compromised and we will all pay a heavy price.
I suggest that the civil service, as the country's largest employer, lead by example.
Give employees what is rightfully theirs - the rest they need.

Leong Choon Kit (Dr)

 

[rushifa666]

If you still need proof the you are just a moron at this point

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Quote: "In explaining how these 11 countries were picked, Transport Minister S. Iswaran explained that they accounted for 10 per cent of travellers in pre-Covid-19 days."

And the Shit Times ordered to quote "experts" to downplay the impact of imported COVID-19 viruses.

VTL likely to see some import of Covid-19, but that will have little impact on Singapore​

Salma Khalik
Senior Health Correspondent

Visitors have as much risk of getting Covid-19 while in Singapore as locals have when overseas.PHOTO: ST FILE

Oct 15, 2021

SINGAPORE - More travellers will be entering Singapore without the need to quarantine as the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme is extended to nine more countries.
This also applies to Singaporeans who want to go on an overseas trip.
Airlines faced a flood of inquiries and saw tickets getting snapped up right after last week's announcement of the easing of travel curbs, indicating a lot of pent-up demand.
Most people welcomed the opening of Singapore's borders - even though it was only to a select few countries and limited to 3,000 travellers a day - as an indication that the nation has started its move towards normality.
Eyebrows have been raised, however, about some of the 11 countries selected for the scheme.
Many found the inclusion of the United States and the United Kingdom, in particular, questionable, as both these countries continue to top the charts in terms of the daily new infections - and in the case of the US, also for the number of daily deaths.

The US had 99,000 new infections and 1,831 deaths, while the UK had 43,000 new cases and 136 deaths on Wednesday (Oct 13), local time.
At least the vaccination rate in the UK is high - though not as high as in Singapore - with close to 80 per cent of eligible people fully vaccinated. In the US, less than 60 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated.
And yet, Singapore is allowing people flying in from these two countries to enter without the need for quarantine.
In explaining how these 11 countries were picked, Transport Minister S. Iswaran explained that they accounted for 10 per cent of travellers in pre-Covid-19 days.

He also told The Straits Times' digital broadcast, The Big Story: "They are among our top 20 trading partners, and they have sizeable business communities and families here in Singapore. So it is important that we reconnect with them."
But there are other, larger foreign communities here - and from countries with lower Covid-19 infection rates. Malaysia, Indonesia and India are good examples. Would they be equally safe countries to have under the VTL scheme?
Of course, the VTL is an agreement between two countries, so the other country needs to agree to similar travel conditions.

For some very safe countries such as China, Singapore has already unilaterally opened up, but China has not reciprocated - not surprising, given the relatively high rate of infection and deaths here in recent weeks.
So while there is minimum fuss for travellers coming from China, the same doesn't apply when these travellers return home.
But vaccination and infection rates, as well as willingness on the part of the other country, are not the only criteria for the VTL scheme.
While these are important, there are other factors at play, said Mr Iswaran.
These include "operational risk assessments in terms of whether we can implement the processes that we have in mind well, and whether the airlines and the airports, et cetera, can work seamlessly to make it happen".
So, aside from vaccination and infection rates, the efficiency and reliability of the other country's administrative and technological systems also play an important part.
This makes sense.
There must be a reliable source to ensure that people who say they have been fully vaccinated really have been. This also means the need for compatible technology since both countries must be able to digitally verify vaccination status.
Similarly, Singapore should be able to rely upon the authorities in the other country to ensure that all passengers are cleared with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test before flight departure.
Said Mr Iswaran: "We want them to have a negative PCR test within 48 hours of departure. But we need to be sure that the facilities are there, the test results are readily available, and these can be reliably accessed by the airline and also our own agencies."
Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said the choice of countries for VTL entry is determined by a combination of public health and economic considerations.

He said: "These are countries where there are strong economic ties with Singapore, as well as a sizeable population of expatriates working in Singapore, and host a number of Singaporeans working or studying there. These are also strategic for Singapore to remain as an air hub in Asia-Pacific."
As for the US, he said the vaccination rate is uneven across states, but places where travellers from Singapore are likely to visit, such as New York, California and Hawaii, have more than 70 per cent vaccination rates.

Places in the US where travellers from Singapore are likely to visit, such as New York, have more than 70 per cent vaccination rates. PHOTO: AFP

Other countries suitable for early VTLs, he said, include Australia, Japan and New Zealand. But this is provided they, too, agree to such hassle-free travel.
Professor Dale Fisher, a senior infectious diseases consultant at the National University Hospital (NUH), expects expansion of the VTL scheme fairly soon.
His rationale: "Many of the countries in the VTL seem fairly random. Why Spain and not Portugal? Why Germany, France and Italy, but not Switzerland, which they surround? In Europe, people travel between countries freely."
He added that the infection rate in the other country is not as important as having all incoming travellers fully vaccinated.
Vaccinated travellers who are infected will likely be mildly ill or have no symptoms, and carry low viral loads that reduce the risk of onward transmission.
This raises the question of the testing regimen required.
Travellers need to test negative in the 48 hours before departure, and again on arrival.
Taking the extreme limits, that's 48 hours, plus flight time of, say, 30 hours. That's 78 hours in all by the time they do their second test.
Most travellers would have a much shorter period between the two tests.
The incubation of the Delta variant, which is now globally dominant, is much shorter than earlier variants and takes four days or less. Four days is 96 hours.
That means travellers who have been infected can test negative for both tests as it is during the incubation period.
Their viral load goes up only after a day or two at their destination.
Yes, such leaks are not just possible, but are also likely to happen, said all the experts The Straits Times spoke to.
But as Associate Professor Alex Cook, vice-dean for research at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said: "At the number of community cases we're seeing, even adding 100 infected travellers a day would have very little impact on the amount of community transmission.
"The key is that the travellers must be vaccinated (or young). We do not want additional unvaccinated people coming into the country and potentially adding more strain to the healthcare system."
Singapore has been recording about 3,000 new infections daily, indicating that the virus is spreading rather freely in the community. About 22,000 people are currently recovering from Covid-19.

This is why Prof Fisher said Singapore can afford to relax the need for quarantine and repeat tests for travellers from other countries.
He explained: "Imported cases used to matter when we were in the containment phase. But now, border closures add nothing to the strategy where we are transiting into endemicity."
Visitors have as much risk of getting Covid-19 while in Singapore as locals have when they are overseas. So, such restrictions may no longer be meaningful.
What is important is that all who face such risks are fully vaccinated, so they have good protection against severe illness and deaths - no matter whether they get infected overseas, or in Singapore.

 

[rushifa666]

Rupees for sinkies ! Huat ah!

 

[Leongsam]

Quote: "In explaining how these 11 countries were picked, Transport Minister S. Iswaran explained that they accounted for 10 per cent of travellers in pre-Covid-19 days."

And the Shit Times ordered to quote "experts" to downplay the impact of imported COVID-19 viruses.

VTL likely to see some import of Covid-19, but that will have little impact on Singapore​

Salma Khalik
Senior Health Correspondent

Visitors have as much risk of getting Covid-19 while in Singapore as locals have when overseas.PHOTO: ST FILE

Oct 15, 2021

SINGAPORE - More travellers will be entering Singapore without the need to quarantine as the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme is extended to nine more countries.
This also applies to Singaporeans who want to go on an overseas trip.
Airlines faced a flood of inquiries and saw tickets getting snapped up right after last week's announcement of the easing of travel curbs, indicating a lot of pent-up demand.
Most people welcomed the opening of Singapore's borders - even though it was only to a select few countries and limited to 3,000 travellers a day - as an indication that the nation has started its move towards normality.
Eyebrows have been raised, however, about some of the 11 countries selected for the scheme.
Many found the inclusion of the United States and the United Kingdom, in particular, questionable, as both these countries continue to top the charts in terms of the daily new infections - and in the case of the US, also for the number of daily deaths.

The US had 99,000 new infections and 1,831 deaths, while the UK had 43,000 new cases and 136 deaths on Wednesday (Oct 13), local time.
At least the vaccination rate in the UK is high - though not as high as in Singapore - with close to 80 per cent of eligible people fully vaccinated. In the US, less than 60 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated.
And yet, Singapore is allowing people flying in from these two countries to enter without the need for quarantine.
In explaining how these 11 countries were picked, Transport Minister S. Iswaran explained that they accounted for 10 per cent of travellers in pre-Covid-19 days.

He also told The Straits Times' digital broadcast, The Big Story: "They are among our top 20 trading partners, and they have sizeable business communities and families here in Singapore. So it is important that we reconnect with them."
But there are other, larger foreign communities here - and from countries with lower Covid-19 infection rates. Malaysia, Indonesia and India are good examples. Would they be equally safe countries to have under the VTL scheme?
Of course, the VTL is an agreement between two countries, so the other country needs to agree to similar travel conditions.

For some very safe countries such as China, Singapore has already unilaterally opened up, but China has not reciprocated - not surprising, given the relatively high rate of infection and deaths here in recent weeks.
So while there is minimum fuss for travellers coming from China, the same doesn't apply when these travellers return home.
But vaccination and infection rates, as well as willingness on the part of the other country, are not the only criteria for the VTL scheme.
While these are important, there are other factors at play, said Mr Iswaran.
These include "operational risk assessments in terms of whether we can implement the processes that we have in mind well, and whether the airlines and the airports, et cetera, can work seamlessly to make it happen".
So, aside from vaccination and infection rates, the efficiency and reliability of the other country's administrative and technological systems also play an important part.
This makes sense.
There must be a reliable source to ensure that people who say they have been fully vaccinated really have been. This also means the need for compatible technology since both countries must be able to digitally verify vaccination status.
Similarly, Singapore should be able to rely upon the authorities in the other country to ensure that all passengers are cleared with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test before flight departure.
Said Mr Iswaran: "We want them to have a negative PCR test within 48 hours of departure. But we need to be sure that the facilities are there, the test results are readily available, and these can be reliably accessed by the airline and also our own agencies."
Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said the choice of countries for VTL entry is determined by a combination of public health and economic considerations.

He said: "These are countries where there are strong economic ties with Singapore, as well as a sizeable population of expatriates working in Singapore, and host a number of Singaporeans working or studying there. These are also strategic for Singapore to remain as an air hub in Asia-Pacific."
As for the US, he said the vaccination rate is uneven across states, but places where travellers from Singapore are likely to visit, such as New York, California and Hawaii, have more than 70 per cent vaccination rates.

Places in the US where travellers from Singapore are likely to visit, such as New York, have more than 70 per cent vaccination rates. PHOTO: AFP

Other countries suitable for early VTLs, he said, include Australia, Japan and New Zealand. But this is provided they, too, agree to such hassle-free travel.
Professor Dale Fisher, a senior infectious diseases consultant at the National University Hospital (NUH), expects expansion of the VTL scheme fairly soon.
His rationale: "Many of the countries in the VTL seem fairly random. Why Spain and not Portugal? Why Germany, France and Italy, but not Switzerland, which they surround? In Europe, people travel between countries freely."
He added that the infection rate in the other country is not as important as having all incoming travellers fully vaccinated.
Vaccinated travellers who are infected will likely be mildly ill or have no symptoms, and carry low viral loads that reduce the risk of onward transmission.
This raises the question of the testing regimen required.
Travellers need to test negative in the 48 hours before departure, and again on arrival.
Taking the extreme limits, that's 48 hours, plus flight time of, say, 30 hours. That's 78 hours in all by the time they do their second test.
Most travellers would have a much shorter period between the two tests.
The incubation of the Delta variant, which is now globally dominant, is much shorter than earlier variants and takes four days or less. Four days is 96 hours.
That means travellers who have been infected can test negative for both tests as it is during the incubation period.
Their viral load goes up only after a day or two at their destination.
Yes, such leaks are not just possible, but are also likely to happen, said all the experts The Straits Times spoke to.
But as Associate Professor Alex Cook, vice-dean for research at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said: "At the number of community cases we're seeing, even adding 100 infected travellers a day would have very little impact on the amount of community transmission.
"The key is that the travellers must be vaccinated (or young). We do not want additional unvaccinated people coming into the country and potentially adding more strain to the healthcare system."
Singapore has been recording about 3,000 new infections daily, indicating that the virus is spreading rather freely in the community. About 22,000 people are currently recovering from Covid-19.

This is why Prof Fisher said Singapore can afford to relax the need for quarantine and repeat tests for travellers from other countries.
He explained: "Imported cases used to matter when we were in the containment phase. But now, border closures add nothing to the strategy where we are transiting into endemicity."
Visitors have as much risk of getting Covid-19 while in Singapore as locals have when they are overseas. So, such restrictions may no longer be meaningful.
What is important is that all who face such risks are fully vaccinated, so they have good protection against severe illness and deaths - no matter whether they get infected overseas, or in Singapore.

The USA has a much lower infection rate compared to Singapore so it goes without saying that Sinkies pose more of a risk than the Americans do.

​

 

[syed putra]

NS only create a bunch of cowards. This is a relatively harmless virus. Those who died, we need to know if it's due to covid or died with covid but from other complications.