Drawing on lessons learnt from SARS in 2003, Singapore confronted the COVID-19 outbreak with a cautious step-by-step approach.
Since the virus spreads through contact with respiratory droplets (and there is currently no evidence of airborne transmission), the Ministry of Health (MOH) has discouraged the public from hoarding and wearing masks when they are not sick. Maintaining proper hand hygiene and avoiding touching the face are more effective to reduce chance of infection.
On that note, Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, partner at Ogilvy Wymann and Co-Director of Global Health at SSHSPH, pointed out that Singapore’s policy on masks is vastly different from China’s as it stems from striking a balance between priorities and limited resources.
“If we wish to battle the virus in the long run, resources such as masks, sanitisers, manpower, etc., should be reserved for frontline healthcare workers,” he added.
As the outbreak developed, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Two days later, MOH imposed a travel ban, denying entry or transit through Singapore for new visitors who have been in mainland China within the past 14 days. Singaporeans and long-term pass holders with travel history to mainland China are also required to observe a 14-day leave of absence upon their return.
Assoc Prof Lim noted, “Such prompt action helped Singapore to buy time and respond to the subsequent local transmission that was to come. Based on our current understanding of the new coronavirus, it seems impossible to prevent community spread entirely.”
In response to efforts to combat the spread of fake news about the virus, he believes that more can be done by the Singapore government. For instance, to avoid the recurrence of panic buying, authorities could anticipate the psychological impacts that the outbreak’s developments might have on the general public to help them accustom to changes as soon as possible.
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