"Do not worry. Chan Chun Sing is on it. I promise you. You won't have to eat combat rations."

 

Goh Meng Seng tries too hard to discredit the PAP

First there was Terry Xu and his attempt to discredit police with fake news.

And then, there is Goh Meng Seng, the leader of an opposition party (People's Power Party) with his fake news to discredit the government.

These are also the same people who talk about integrity and accountability.

South Asians? When you need them to do the cleaning, they are there.

When you need them to clean your blocks and neighbourhood so that you can have a safer environment, they are the ones to do the job, increasing their risk of exposure to the virus. You don't care which part of South Asia they hail from.

Our border restriction measures are strict. How do I know, you ask? From a daily average of 200,000 arrivals a day at Changi Airport pre-covid to an average of 1200 arrivals a day. Changi Airport is like ghost town. If that is not strict, what is? Total shutdown?

You charged that the government cares more for 'their' economy than your lives. 'Their' economy is 'your' jobs. You expect them not only to keep your safe, but to ensure your livelihoods. Yes, you do. Because if there is no food on the table and your children are hungry and crying, you won't say, "Thank you, government, that our lives matter more than our livelihoods."

Since 23 April 2021, all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history (including transit) to India within the last 14 days are not allowed entry into Singapore, or transit through Singapore.

#overheard

*the suffering is real*

Just caught up briefly with an Indian friend of mine recently.

He is originally from India. His family and him decided to settle down and make a living in Singapore a number of years ago.

He shared that close to thirty of his colleagues in India recently passed away because of Covid. Within his business unit, just slightly less than ten also contracted Covid but thankfully they survived, for now.

The suffering in India is real. It is pervasive and is widespread.

* an Indian friend of my wife described the situation in New Delhi as "a bloodbath".

I can imagine the desperation of those who are living and working here would feel, when they have loved ones stranded in India, especially so if they are young or elderly, vulnerable and living alone.

It is a life and death issue to them, literally.

And it is not unreasonable and perfectly understandable to expect some of them living here, to try their utmost to ensure the safety of their loved ones by arranging for them to be moved here. I would do the same too if I know that the safety of my loved ones is being threatened.

Perhaps we need to view Covid not simply as a country-specific problem.

Perhaps we need to view Covid more broadly as a shared humanity problem.

Perhaps.......

When viewed in this light, yes, we may be suffering much unwelcomed inconveniences because of the semi lockdown situation we are in.

But when compared to the dire and hopeless situation in India, our 'suffering' really pales in comparison.

..... we weep with those who weep.

Vaccines help nations exit pandemic faster

The messenger RNA (mRNA) shots developed by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna are better at stopping people from becoming contagious, helping reduce onward transmission.

Other vaccines, while effective in preventing acute illness or death from Covid-19, appear not to have this extra perk to the same degree.

So get vaccinated, will ya?

We can't shut our borders for a long time or we will end up having our lives without a livelihood.

Interview with PM Lee Hsien Loong at the inaugural Global Forum on Economic Recovery, hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce on 19 May 2021

We are a small open country, we have to deal with it as things go along, and we cannot afford to seal our borders off. Other bigger countries can, to a very great extent. For Singapore, you need food, fuel, people moving in and out, even during COVID-19. You have to do it to the extent that you can, while keeping ourselves safe with all the precautions, (such as) testing, contact tracing apps, protocols to make sure that people come in through proper procedures and are vetted, and so on. Not without risk, but unavoidable.

To open up completely again and have free travel, it is a long way off. Even travel bubbles – countries talk about it, but that needs confidence on both sides and we only want to bubble with countries which are safer than us. That means it is not easy to make a match.

- PM Lee on free air travel

Firstly, that you cannot afford to slacken. Each time you think you have got the COVID-19 situation under control, and you know how to respond to it, it pops up in a new direction. It can be a mutant, it can be a new avenue which you did not spot, but you cannot afford to slacken, and you must always think beyond what you imagine is likely to happen.

- PM Lee on the pandemic

Interview with PM Lee Hsien Loong at the inaugural Global Forum on Economic Recovery, hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce on 19 May 2021.

You need workers to do the installation.

Singapore General Hospital has decided to enhance the ventilation in their B2 and C class wards (which are currently spot-cooled with opened windows and oscillating fans) by installing air extractors. These will remove stale and humid air from the wards, keeping everyone safe.

Here's a learning point for everyone.

You need workers to do the installation. If you are shorthanded, the installation will either take a very long time to do, or not be done at all.

Now, I am just using this installation job to illustrate to you - the netizens - the impact on companies deprived of workers. Eventually, the impact will reach you. Your BTO, the hospital still under construction, your renovation work, that urgent repair.

So when you shout 'projects can wait' on social media, you haven't understood the full impact.

Every day, every week, every month, migrant workers who have finished their contract go home because they are homesick, they are worried about their families.

With a daily arrival of an average 1200 a day at Changi Airport and this figure includes returning Singaporeans and PRs, the number of workers allowed to enter barely replaces those who have gone back.

These workers are not just in the CMP sector. They are also in essential services such as PUB, checking on the quality of water every day etc.

The impact is not limited to companies when they have to shut down. Eventually, you will be the ones suffering a degradation of services.

Photo credit: Singapore General Hospital Facebook

The Delhi Chief Minister has no competence to speak on behalf of India.

 

Ban flights from India?

If we had banned flights from India, we would be able to keep out the double mutant infectious Indian variant of the virus?

If only it is so simple.

First, it is infectious. This variant is now circulating in more than 44 countries according to WHO. The virus does not have to come in from India. It can come in from anywhere in the world as long as the world is not free of COVID-19.

So what do we do? Ban all flights from all countries?

Can Singapore ban all flights and shut down Changi Airport until the pandemic is over?

Can Singapore also shut down our seaport since the virus also comes in through sea crew?

Can Singapore afford to break our own supply chains and expect manna from heaven while we close all our doors and keep the storm out?

Talk is cheap. If you are required to stay at home and shut your doors, and there shall be no movement in and out of your home, in no time you will run out of supply, and starve.

Incidentally, international flights between India and Singapore have been suspended by the Indian Government since March 2020.

Given the infectiousness of the double mutant, the taskforce is casting the net wide to detect every case circulating in the community. They are testing not just close contacts but people who could have come into contact with confirmed cases, people with possible exposure.

For every case placed on quarantine that tests positive, it means they have succeeded in removing one potential spreader in the community and cut a potential chain of transmission.

But controlling the spread is not the responsibility of the taskforce alone. It is everyone's responsibility. It is a social compact. Everyone has to adhere strictly to the safe management measures.

Another circuit breaker will be a major setback for everyone, says PM Lee in his 2021 May Day Rally speech

Let's all play our part. Another circuit breaker will be a major setback for everyone.

PM Lee said at the May Day Rally this morning:

"The Government is doing everything we can to prevent these clusters from spreading in the community. And we will have to be agile and decisive in our response, to tighten measures promptly, when it's necessary, to clamp down on the spread and to avoid going into a second circuit breaker.

"I hope Singaporeans will work with us and not let down our guard.

"It is not time to relax yet. This is a marathon. Let's keep jogging. Let's keep ourselves safe.

"Don't make the mistake which other countries have done, celebrate too early, relax too fast, let your guard down, cause another wave to come - very often worse than the first - and more nasty drastic measures become necessary." 

Singapore will make decisions on vaccines on the basis of science and healthcare needs

Singapore will make decisions on vaccines on the basis of science and healthcare needs. This is just another example of the way we conduct our policies.

We cannot be bought, we cannot be bullied, we cannot be intimidated into either approving or disapproving any vaccine.

We will make decisions on the basis of health and science.

There will be pressure for us, there will be push and pulls, but we must conduct this just like another example of foreign policy in a principled manner.

- Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan

Lesson from Covid-19 : Money alone is not enough.

Money alone is not enough.

Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said Singapore was able to attract $17.2 billion in fixed asset investments in 2020 despite the pandemic gloom because of competence and good governance, the trust premium that undergirds our regulatory system and Intellectual Property regime and our skilled workforce.

𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧, 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞.

On social media, there are people who simply cannot understand the importance of keeping our borders open. They have a reaction each time imported cases are announced. They don't understand that their own future would be at stake if we shut our borders.

Shutting borders is not an option. Managing imported cases is the option. And Singaporeans ourselves must not be complacent or we will have clusters in the community because we fail to remove ourselves from the community when we are sick.

The irresponsible doctor. Is PSP in Phase 4 or 5 now?

Dr Tan Cheng Bock kept completely quiet when his member Brad Bowyer posted misinformation on COVID-19, calling it 'one of the biggest agenda-driven hoaxes in history'. The medical doctor also completely throw caution to the wind for the need to keep a safe distance.

𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

We are truly living in unprecedented times.

First it was Gerald Giam of Workers' Party who spoke in Parliament and wanted the Police to be specifically ruled out from accessing TT data for investigation into serious crimes.

And now we have Tan Cheng Bock's Progress Singapore Party which wanted TT data to be exempted from the Criminal Procedure Code.

These are politicians who watch the winds on social media and go where it blows.

Next, will there be a politician who will stand up and query: with all the modern tools of technology available, why can't the Police solve crimes faster?

PM Lee's new year message 2021: Let's not falter in this final stretch.

PM Lee's new year message. Let's not falter in this final stretch.

Through enormous effort and sacrifice, we have stabilised our situation in Singapore, even as the virus continues to rage on elsewhere in the world.

Now is not yet the time to celebrate. That time will come. Meanwhile, I ask for your support to keep up our efforts, and not to falter in this final stretch.

What has stood out in our response to COVID-19 is the trust our people have in our system and in one another. In many countries, COVID-19 has deepened old fault lines and created new tensions. Singapore has thankfully avoided major divisions among our people, and the pessimism and loss of trust that have happened elsewhere.

Trust in our system remains high. Singaporeans have cooperated with the government and complied with the COVID-19 rules, because the government has been open and upfront about the facts, and justified your faith that it is doing its very best to deal with the crisis.

- PM Lee

PM Lee Hsien Loong's New Year Message 2021: all out support for businesses and workers

A report by the Washington Post says that theft in the US has risen during this pandemic. What is striking is that this rise is driven by theft of essential food items, like bread and baby formula.

About 26 million American adults reported not having enough food to eat in Nov 2020. Many have lost their jobs and are desperate.

Singaporeans are fortunate. The Singapore Government went all out to support businesses and workers, digging into our reserves stored up through prudence, and set up a National Job Council to create jobs, opportunities and traineeships for Singaporeans.

This new year, let's count our blessings and be thankful for what we have, and work together for a brighter tomorrow.

In his new year message, PM Lee said:

The Government has gone all out to support our workers and companies, to prevent massive job losses and business failures. We passed five Budgets, totalling close to $100 billion. We drew heavily on our past reserves to help businesses and workers through the Jobs Support Scheme, the Self-Employed Persons Income Relief Scheme (SIRS), the COVID-19 Support Grant, and many other schemes. We set up new channels, virtual and physical, to help jobseekers get matched to employers that were still hiring.

Healthcare Minister Gan Kim Yong has heartfelt thanks for healthcare workers for the colossal effort they put in to keep Singapore safe.

Healthcare Minister Gan Kim Yong has heartfelt thanks for healthcare workers for the colossal effort they put in to keep Singapore safe.

It's timely to reflect on what we have gone through even as we enter Phase 3.

Mr Gan said the experience of 2020 will be etched deeply in our collective memory long after this pandemic is over.

Gan Kim Yong: giving up was never an option.

 

At the peak, Singapore saw a staggering record of more than 1400 new cases a day in April.

From the initial days of anxiety and uncertainty, we quickly improvised and adapted our structures and processes to find novel ways of caring for every patient, COVID-19 or otherwise.

We deployed medical teams to community care facilities and dormitories, augmented our healthcare workforce with the SG Healthcare Corps, and work closely with partners across the public and private sectors to screen, test and care for patients.

Giving up was never an option. As a nation, we pressed on and through a colossal effort, with every Singaporean playing their part, we eventually managed to bring our local transmissions down to its low levels today, with zero cases on some days.

- Health Minister Gan Kim Yong in his letter to colleagues in healthcare

Checks and enforcements will be stepped up, co-chair of the Multi-Ministry Taskforce Lawrence Wong said.

 

"The checks are not going to be perfect. Even if we fail to catch some people who may have committed such breaches, at the end of the day, the people who are doing so are taking risk upon themselves," he said.

"They are risking the health of themselves and their family members because I am sure the virus is still circulating around in our midst, in a hidden way, in a very low level of transmission - cryptic transmission, if you call it - but it is happening."

Five food and beverage (F&B) outlets have already been ordered to close, while 16 other outlets and 36 individuals will be fined for breaching safe management measures, said the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment on Tuesday.

The breaches were uncovered during stepped-up enforcement checks over the past weekend.

The Multi-ministry Taskforce co-chairs by Gan Kim Yong and Lawrence Wong has done well.

Work was carried out quietly behind the scene and the announcement only made when everything was certain.

Kudos to all.

A netizen expressed shock at Brad's irresponsible statements on mask and vaccines.

A netizen expressed shock at Brad's irresponsible statements on mask and vaccines.