On hindsight, being just a blogger, not our job to tackle the pandemic, not being paid millions to understand and come up with a sound strategy, with a team of experts to assist, it is fair that we can use the excuse of hindsight to look at what is happening and what could be the reason why we ended up here.
Anyone who thinks that we have done well must be out of his mind. And any silly bugger who said it could be worse, got to visit the IMH. We were the envy of the world, we were on the lips of world leaders in managing the pandemic and sitting pretty in Level 1, as one of the most successful country outside China containing the virus. Every country wanted to learn from us, wanted to have special entry lane for visitors with us. We could pick and choose who we want to let in under special arrangements. But that is history.
Where are we now, Level 4, a high risk country determined by our great friend the USA. We are as good as a basket case without admitting it. Countries are avoiding us. Level 1 and 2 countries would not want to have VTL with us as we are now high risk. It is a great achievement, like going from first world to third world and it needs very exceptional talents to make it happen overnight.
When we we sitting up there looking pretty and clean, what prompted the govt to choose between zero Covid or living with Covid, aka Level 1 or Level 4, between a safe country and a basket case country? Before the decision was made to go for living with Covid, what were the considerations in their minds? Why would we take the plunge into the mud hole when we were almost Covid zero? We were clean and safe, or was it a lie, that what the public knew was not the true picture and we were already in the shithole? This could be the main reason as the truth could not be hidden for long. We had let in too many Delta Variant visitors during the height of India's days of hell. For whatever stupid reasons, the Delta Variant is already in the community and there is no way out, it was breaking at the seams. So it was a case of no choice. There was no way to keep the infection down.
If we were really nearly Covid zero, who would be so stupid to suggest the option of living with the Covid and live with the huge spike in infection, hospitilisation and deaths? Any average person would have to insist on staying Covid free when we could and were almost there.
Imagine if we had kept it real low, maybe not Covid free but low enough, who do you think would be in the list of VTL countries? China, Hong Kong and Taiwan would provide us with enough Covid free tourists to fill up our hotels and tourist sites. Instead, we are now taking greater risk in including Level 3/4 countries to send their unsafe tourists here, and you know what, when many vaccinated are dangerous carriers of the virus but with no symptoms, are we being safe, being responsible to the safety and well being of our citizens?
Rubbish and highly dangerous visitors from Level 3 and Level 4 countries being let in to spread the virus if they happened to be carriers? High risk living and low thinking? I am not even looking at the numbers of fake certificates coming in. Were they able to verify the vaccination certificates as genuine?
Now who decided to go down this stupid path of living with the Covid when we were doing fairly well? Or who convinced or influenced MTF to go down this path? Any foreign interference or all voluntary, so self inflicted tragedy?
PS. With many countries in deep shit after choosing to go down the path of living with the virus, voluntarily, having lost control, or being influenced or mismanaged, a big part of the world would be together in this struggle for existence and pretending that this is the new normal, living with high infections, high hospitalisation and high number of daily deaths. They might even congratulate themselves for being 'able to live with Covid as a way of life' and sneering at China and some countries that are living inside their Covid free bubble. Poor China, still cannot live with Covid and have to be isolated from the world.
Two outcomes from this. The rest of the live with Covid countries can develop natural immunity and no longer be impacted by Covid, with Covid becoming a common flu, and infection, hospitalistion and death falling to insignificant level. That is the best outcome that living with Covid countries hope to achieve.
The second outcome, the herd immunity did not happen and the rest of the world would plod along like what it is today, restrictions on and off, lockdown on and off, infection, hospitalisation and death continue to be high.
China and Covid free countries would continue to live in their sanitised bubbles. Chinese people can travel out of China, but fully vaccinated. Foreigners going into China would be quarantined and to go through several stages of medical tests to make sure they don't spread the virus in China.
The world economy will chug along, China's economy would also chug along, but it would be a world divided, one free from the Covid disease, one diseased. Who is better off? China is big enough and does not need the tourist money and does not have to endanger its people with tourists from diseased countries flooding the country.
Just for general information for all the readers and contributors of this blog. Viewer traffic has been increasing and the top 5 countries visitors, other than Singapore being the most as the host country, are:
ReplyDelete1. France, just over taken USA.
2. USA
3. Indonesia
4. Malaysia
5. UK
6 is Australia.
The PAP 4G elites switched from ZERO-Covid to MAXIMUM-Covid - directly threatening my life (I'm senior, has many underlying medical conditions, but can die if kena Covid even though vaccinated) !
ReplyDeleteSeem like sensible foreigners prefer to learn the hard truth from your site which is more from the ground rather than some ivory "Hard Truths" book from our cult figure.
ReplyDeleteSo many countries visiting your site, just a matter of time the government will likely find a way to FICA no matter how absurd it sound after all truth must not prevail. Only the government narratives and figures are the ultimate truth, and nothing else.
RB and All,
ReplyDeleteFor your information:
Level 4 is HIGHEST RISKS Level (Not High Risks), Extremely Dangerous Place to visit.
Level 3 is HIGH RISKS Level, Very Dangerous Place to visit.
Level 2 is Moderate Risks Level, Visit at your own Discretion on Need Basis. However, the Unvaccinated should not visit such places too.
Level 1 is Low Risks Level, Safe to Visit but follow Destination Country's Safety Instructions And Measures.
USA is also at Level 4, the HIGHEST RISKS LEVEL, same as Singapore, UK, Brunei, and most European countries.
LIPS.
Curiously, the Japanese claim they do not know why their COVID19 infections have dropped so low. It was as if by magic. On hindsight, it probably was due to the radiation from Fukushima. Obviously drinking the contaminated water is out of the question, as it was just a ploy to say the treated water is safe even for drinking and can be dumped into the ocean. Wonder whether that clown has drank any of the treated contaminated water?
ReplyDeleteThe WHO must send a team to Japan to study the magical transformation and tell the world how it is done. I wonder if it is really due to Fukushima, a blessing in disguise for Japan? Now the Japs are saved and can continue to defend Taiwan.
In the initial outbreak, Japan was one of the poster child of COVID19 infection control, like Singapore. Then the shit hit the fan. Sooner or later those countries gloating over their success will suffer the ignominy of eating humble pie.
ReplyDeleteIndia gloated they conquered the virus in early 2020, but suffered the most devastating effect of the virus attack. I think India has not learnt it's lesson. So did some other countries who are letting their guards down, thinking the virus is just playing by the rules they set. It is all wishful thinking! The UK comes to mind again with infections growing by the day.
Thanks LIPS, for the definitions for the CDC levels of Risk.
ReplyDeleteThere are many clever ways of reporting low numbers of infection. The lying Japanese just found one way to do it. Many countries are doing the same. When one country was reporting hell yesterday but heaven today, you know some is not right.
ReplyDeleteWhen it smells like a fish, looks like a fish, it must be a fish.
Do not believe in the numbers especially from countries that are infamous for lying and cheating and faking. And worse, do not believe in countries where politicians walk around like priests in white robes. This type even more dangerous.
One important point to note, all the countries suffering from high infections are countries that only used mRNA vaccines....US, UK, Europe, and you know who. These countries were happily looking for herd immunity after 65% of their population were vaccinated. Many gone passed that, some passed 80%, the infection is still going up and up.
But white lies must be believeable. Cannot discredit white lies. Or shall I rephrase it to say white men's lies? Die die must pretend it is true. To own up to the fact that white lies are simply lies would expose one's stupidity for believing in 95% efficacy and signing non indemnity clauses and paying an arm and a leg for a white lie.
Till today, no one dares to say the 95% efficacy is false!
Now at more than 82%, infections are still high and, as expected, all blamed on the 100,000 (?) or so oldies that refused to be vaccinated.
ReplyDeleteAs I say, it would be telling if they would release the infection figures among the fully vaccinated and unvaccinated to get the real picture of who are the main spreaders. But, alas, that has been rendered impossible with their doing away with source tracing altogether. It was a master stroke to prevent tracing at source, thus impossible to know which category are doing more of the spreading.
If anyone had examined the VTL countries that Singapore is getting visitors from, they are all from Level 4 and Level 3 - highest and high risks - countries.
ReplyDeleteThat means Singapore is going to be flooded with all sorts of Variants of the COVID-19 from all those countries.
This deliberate importation of Infections by the Singapore government is going to affect ALl Singapore citizens or residents. They have no escape unless they get out of Singapore now. Otherwise, ALL will be infected in one way or another.
This is the most stupid and daring experiment in human history - taking the health and lives of own people and foreign residents in Singapore as Guinea Pigs to satisfy the few Mad Leaders' and Mad Scientists' thirst, hunger and greed for power, money and fame.
The unvaccinated would always be a good excuse to be used by the Government for scapegoating when arguing about who are the main spreaders, the fully vaccinated or the unvaccinated.
ReplyDeleteWhy did they not just mandate that every Singaporean must be vaccinated by law? Why in other areas they can do that, even minor things like feeding birds, mistreating animals, throwing killer litters etc. Isn't preventing infections a bigger issue to be made mandatory?
Do not talk about human rights and freedom of choice in Singapore when mandating vaccination. Those are just a mirage!
BTW, my family and I will be out of Singapore by next month. We will be heading for the most secluded and safest place in China.
ReplyDeleteLips I envy u that u can run road to china whereas most of us are stuck in this hellhole.
DeleteI have foreseen this kind of situation is going to happen in Singapore. So I have been preparing for it. Saving up. Looked for good place to retire and so on and so forth. We must always have a Plan B in life.
DeleteWhen Singapore is highly infected, what is the point of all ART testing ? It make sense to test only when the number is low and we need to curb infection, but infection went out of control and government doing nothing effective other than talk down with crap like "98% of covid infections are mild" and that they will recover after days, they already give up on fighting infection anyway, so why government continue to bother with testing, isolation anymore ? Why simply pass back the responsibilities to lesser mortals to bear the cost, burden , inconvenience when they need to isolate along with their infected family members ? The government will say living with covid just like endemic but measurement still like pandemic (still wear mask, still need testing, still need isolation, place still have limitation, others), and still this PM still have adacity to ask us "Let us go about our daily activities as normally as possible" . How the shit they ask us to live life as normal when they themselves put abnormal measurements. They just love giving bullshit which is the way they work all along.
ReplyDeletePls read the daily official SG covid 19 infection rate as though you are reading comic book.
ReplyDeleteThe figures do not include those people who are infected and stay at home for recovery.
The death figures reported does not include those who died at own home, and those magically and skillfully attributed to other causes of death.
ReplyDeleteAlso the daily infected cases do not include those not seen by private doctors, clinics or hospitals and those tested positive for past infections but never discovered and never reported before. The total figure of all these cases could have been more than doubled or tripled the officially reduced figure reported by MOH (Master Of the Hidden).
Thanks Tehsi for this comment. The actual number, if including those that were infected and staying home, can be very high.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could to go to some corners in China like LIPS.
RB, you can but you don't want to. You must have sufficient savings to retire comfortably already, by now.
DeleteDid the MTF simulate what is the worse case scenario? What kind of numbers did they come up with? When to say enough is enough and to pull the plug?
ReplyDeleteNot time yet. : )
ReplyDeleteStill got many things to consider. Can't just walk away like that.
RB,
DeleteThere is only ONE thing to consider at this juncture - Stay Safe and Alive.
There are always many things to consider. Never end. It is the will to tell yourself enough is enough that will stop you from considering this and that.
Life is the most important. All others are secondary.
ReplyDelete"Did the MTF simulate what is the worse case scenario?"
The worse case scenario will be emphasized purely on economy, not on life and infection, and that Singapore if not open up is the next Atlantis. The people are just the sacrifice.
"What kind of numbers did they come up with?"
Fake number
"When to say enough is enough and to pull the plug?"
When money is never enough for the government , nothing is ever enough. Pull the plug simply mean for them to use more censorship and more rules to clamp down disagreed views.
Singapore has become from good to bad, from bad to worse, and from worse to worst of all in the world.
ReplyDeleteThis is a pathetic and tragic turn of event caused by putting the wrong person to lead the charge in the fight against COVID-19.
A stupid person that is unable to change and blinded by own misperceptions, misinterpretations, and misconceptions, stubbornly held on to his mistakes will only create blunders which will lead to misfortunes and disasters for everyone else, except himself.
ReplyDeleteBrad Bowyer, the Ang Moh ex-PSP's facebook has been been taken down by Facebook by you-know-who
See his twitter
https://twitter.com/BP4SGP/status/1450831848754409473
Congrats SG, steady improvement for all, including our hardworking Foreign Workers.
ReplyDeleteUp to 3,000 migrant workers can visit Little India, Geylang Serai each week from Oct 30: MOM
From Oct 30, as many as 3,000 vaccinated migrant workers — up from the existing cap of 500 — will be allowed to visit Little India and Geylang Serai every week, for up to eight hours per visit, as the authorities expand a pilot community visit programme for the workers.
The move follows “positive outcomes and encouraging feedback” from the pilot, which was launched last month, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a statement on Friday (Oct 22).
During the pilot, up to 500 vaccinated migrant workers from selected dormitories were able to visit Little India each week for up to six hours each time.
Around 700 migrant workers in total from 30 dormitories participated in the month-long pilot.
The workers were required to take Covid-19 antigen rapid tests (ART) before and after the visits, and none has tested positive so far, MOM added.
“Most workers polled… are satisfied with the visit itineraries and arrangements. Some have provided feedback that they would appreciate longer visit hours and more location options,” said MOM.
Workers living in dormitory blocks without Covid-19 clusters will now be eligible to sign up for community visits.
Previously, only workers from dormitories with no positive Covid-19 cases were eligible for the pilot.
The dormitories that the workers live in must have implemented good Covid-19 safety measures and have high vaccination rates among the residents.
Migrant workers participating in the community visits will be required to take an ART on the day of the visit.
The ministry said it will monitor the progress of the community visits and assess further expansion of their scope and scale “at an appropriate time”.
From Oct 30, all vaccinated migrant workers will also be allowed to visit recreation centres up to three times a week, up from twice a week currently.
They will also no longer be required to undergo a pre-visit ART, MOM added.
There are eight recreation centres islandwide, with the workers assigned to a fixed centre.
Unvaccinated migrant workers will be able to visit these centres up to three times a week as well, using their negative ART results from their rostered routine testing or a pre-visit ART.
Its a recipe for disaster to happen concocted by the most idiotic Minister who is full of shameless self-praise and conceit. Singapore is going to the dogs.
DeleteCongratulations!
This is very very xiong lah!
ReplyDeleteFinally respite for pur motherland
ReplyDeleteTravellers from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka to be allowed in Singapore after Oct 26
TRAVELLERS from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka with a 14-day travel history to these countries will be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore, from 11.59pm on Oct 26.
These countries will now be placed in Category IV, meaning that arrivals will have to serve a 10-day stay-home notice (SHN) at dedicated SHN facilities. The cost of this 10-day stay is S$1,450 per person.
"The situation in these countries has stabilised for some time, and there is no longer a need for a strict 'not-to-land' rule," said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung at a press conference by the multi-ministry taskforce on Covid-19 on Saturday (Oct 23).
Many other changes to country classifications and streamlined protocols for travellers were also announced, all of which take effect from the same time of 11.59pm on Oct 26.
Malaysia and Indonesia - Singapore's two closest neighbours - are among several countries being upgraded to Category III, from Category IV previously. The others are Cambodia, Egypt, Hungary, Israel, Mongolia, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, South Africa, Tonga, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
Testing procedures are being streamlined such that all travellers need to take just one polymerase chain reaction (PCR) after arriving in Singapore.
looks like most Countries are massaging their infection figures to capitalise on the VTL arrangements. Believe in the truth at your own peril as authorities are throwing caution to the wind. Death is now just a collateral damage to them.
ReplyDeleteWhat happen to DORSCON that initially been use ? Are we now in DORSCON RED ?
ReplyDeleteDisease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON)
Oh, we have exceeded DORSCON RED, so this is no longer relevant and must be erased from memory, because there is no other color beyond RED. Now what we have should be called DOGSCON , party Dogs that Con native citizen into believing that vaccination is cure to all covid problems, even if vaccinated also account for infection.
The cunning snake oil sellers have decided not to use DORSCON RED because it cripples the who country and the military, civil defense and police will have to be mobilized to help out. That means the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister and the Home Affairs Minister have to work doubly hard. The Cabinet too would have to pretend to work doubly hard when the PM is working doubly hard. Then all of them will die of fatigue instead of Covid infections. Like that how to enjoy the $Multi-Millions amassed all the past 15 to 20 years?
ReplyDeleteHealth Minister Ong Ye Kung dismissed the selective quoting of data on the Covid-19 situation here by people who send inaccurate WhatsApp messages and said that such actions are “misleading” and “a disservice to the people”.
ReplyDeleteHe was referring to viral WhatsApp messages where people want the Ministry of Health (MOH) to “come clean” on the reasons why 40 per cent of beds in intensive care units (ICUs) are filled by fully vaccinated Covid-19 patients, when they are supposed to be protected from severe infection.
“I think such selective quoting of data — 40 per cent of ICU beds occupied by vaccinated individuals, therefore vaccines don't work — I think this is selective use of data to mislead people. And it's a disservice to people,” Mr Ong, co-chair of the Government’s Covid-19 task force, said during a press conference on Saturday (Oct 23).
“As I've said before, if the whole or 100 per cent of our population is vaccinated, every single ICU case, every single death case will be vaccinated. It doesn't mean vaccines don't work. What you need to look at is the incidence rate, what is the base.”
Unvaccinated seniors make up 1.5 per cent of Singapore’s total population, but they accounted for two-thirds of occupancy in ICUs and deaths over the last 28 days, he said.
“So do get yourself vaccinated, and be careful of misleading WhatsApp messages and poor math.”
The virus is spreading to the south and there are people in Singapore who still think we should pursue an elimination strategy.
ReplyDeleteNew Zealand has already abandoned the elimination strategy despite being the poster child for how to deal with the virus.
You can lockdown but you can't stop a very infectious virus.
Wish every country success in learning to live with the virus. Vaccines plus more treatment methods will give hope to humanity.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/new-zealands-coronavirus-outbreak-spreads-south-island-2021-10-23
COVID-19 Singapore: Why Make Vaccination Voluntary When You Mean Vaccination Is Compulsory!?
ReplyDeleteDuring a press conference on 23 Oct, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, who is also Co-Chair of the Leaderless Multi-Ministry Taskforce, said:
“I think such selective quoting of data — 40 per cent of ICU beds occupied by vaccinated individuals, therefore vaccines don't work — I think this is selective use of data to mislead people. And it's a disservice to people.
As I've said before, if the whole or 100 per cent of our population is vaccinated, every single ICU case, every single death case will be vaccinated. It doesn't mean vaccines don't work. What you need to look at is the incidence rate, what is the base.
Unvaccinated seniors make up 1.5 per cent of Singapore’s total population, but they accounted for two-thirds of occupancy in ICUs and deaths over the last 28 days.
So do get yourself vaccinated, and be careful of misleading WhatsApp messages and poor math.”
From that speech, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has again told people to get themselves vaccinated.
In the past one year, the PM, the PM's Wife, the Multi-Ministry Task Force, the Experts Committee and the Health Ministry have been painstakingky advising, encouraging and pointedly telling people (especially those who have not been vaccinated) to go and get vaccinated.
So much efforts and restrictive measures have been deliberately put up at discriminating against those who are unvaccinated (for their own protection?) to make life more difficult for them living in Singapore.
Why go to such a great extent to advise, encourage and persuade Singaporeans and Residents to go and get themselves vaccinated?
Why don't simply declare that VACCINATION IS COMPULSORY?
Why go round and round in circles and make all of us look like clowns in a circus?
What is there to stop or prevent the powerful government of Singapore to chicken out from declaring "VACCINATION IS COMPULSORY FOR EVERYONE!"???
There are so many things that have been made Compulsory in Singapore. This is nothing new. Adding one more Compulsory Decree in the Long List of Compulsory Decrees will not make any eyebrow raised.
Come on, for goodness sake, for simplicity, just say what you meant to say, i.e.
"VACCINATION IS NOT VOLUNTARY, VACCINATION IS COMPULSORY!"
And everything will be alright. Everyone will understand. Everyone will go and get vaccinated. And the Ministers and Government will have good sleep every night.
Please reconsider.
If you can reconsider to include Sinovac in the National Vaccination Program, why not reconsider this? I believe our leaders are very flexible and adaptable people. Please think again.
Cheers! Have a nice day!
P/S: Of course, those who are medically unfit to take the vaccines can be exempted from this compulsion.
LIPS At Your Service.
Lawrence Wong explains our calibrated and controlled approach towards living with Covid-19.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, our weekly infection rate is slightly above 1. This means cases are still increasing but at a slower rate. When the weekly infection rate falls below 1, and our hospital system is stabilised (currently two thirds of ICU beds are occupied), measures can be eased further to allow more activities including families to dine in.
Talking German?
DeleteSounds like he is on a different wavelength from all of us.
He speaks his own lingo, while the oldies cannot understand why the must die in order for the community to get the hurt immunity?
We are getting there but still not out of the woods yet.
ReplyDeleteRemember the week on week multiple?
For the new cases, we did week on week multiple od daily new cases, as well as week on week multiple of cumulative 7-day new cases.
We can see that these week on week multiples have gone back above 1.
True, we are not doubling every 1-2 weeks, but we are still doubling over a longer period, not declining.
More importantly, the week on week oxygen/ICU/death multiple is still clearly above 1.
This means the pressure head on the hospitals remain strong.
We must reduce this pressure head, to reduce flow first and consequently the stock.
The food & beverage association should look at such data, to share with their members as a heads up.
At a weekly multiple of 1.11~1.14, we will see a doubling of cases every 6-7 weeks.
Unless we see the week on week multiple of oxygen/ICU/deaths coming down below 1, it means the hospitals are still under high pressure, with various other hospital care postponed just to support the surge in covid cases.
So we should NOT expect the restrictions on dining in to be lifted soon.
After all, the relaxation to 5 vaccinated for dining in, and 2 regardless of vaccination for hawker/coffee shop dining in, was the driver for the current wave.
All of us are better off spending our energies to increase the vaccination rates. That is the real solution, instead of crying for more people for dining in when our hospitals are under tremendous pressure already.
Yes, the oxygen cases are now 1% of the confirmed cases over the past 28 days. This is down from 1.7% a month earlier.
This means the boosters are working well for those already vaccinated.
But the bulk of the cases requiring oxygen or ICU care have been the unvaccinated folks.
So the F&B owners, managers & staff can encourage all their patrons to help get the unvaccinated friends and family, neighbours and colleagues to be vaccinated.
Everyone vaccinated or boosted is one more life saved.
In KL, shopkeepers are angry with the unvaccinated, bcos they had seen the deaths pile up and the mortuaries overflow just a few months ago. They even refused to serve takeaways to those who were unvaccinated.
While we don’t have to scold our unvaccinated, we can be creative in getting the unvaccinated across the line to protect themselves and to protect others.
Why must the vaccinated ask the unvaccinated to protect them?
DeleteI thought the vaccinated are well protected by the vaccines? No?
It should be the other way around. The vaccinated should protect the unvaccinated, isn't it?
The able, healthy, young and capable should protect the weak and vulnerable, isn't it?
Today, the Multi-Ministry Task Force announced that some COVID-19 measures can be eased if the weekly infection growth rate drops below 1.
ReplyDeleteThe weekly infection growth rate is the ratio of community COVID-19 cases in the past week over the week before. If the ratio is greater than 1, cases are growing. If it is less than 1, cases are declining. And if it is 1, that means the number of cases is more or less stable.
A fortnight ago the ratio was 1.5, meaning that cases were doubling every two weeks or so. Now the ratio has fallen to 1.15, still slightly above 1. (A ratio of 1.15 means cases are growing 15% per week, and doubling about every month.)
If the ratio drops below 1, and our hospital and ICU situations remain stable, we can ease some measures. Fully vaccinated family members from the same household can eat together at F&B outlets in a group of up to five people. Selected team sports and school activities can also resume with appropriate safeguards.
Many of you have written to express your frustrations about the restrictions, while others have voiced concerns that we are opening up too fast! I fully understand how you feel. It has been a long journey, and the continuing uncertainty and disruption is hard on all of us. Some sectors – like F&B – have had an exceptionally tough time.
But we can neither lockdown indefinitely and stand still, nor can we simply let go and let things rip. We have to travel this road to get to living safely with COVID-19. We want to get there with as few casualties as possible. The course which the MTF is setting reflects our judgment on how best to do this.
Meanwhile, let’s all continue to do our part to exercise social responsibility. If you are offered a vaccination or booster dose, please take it. It will reduce your chances of getting seriously ill, or needing ICU care. Let’s continue to stay safe and keep working together. – LHL
S'pore cannot lock down indefinitely but also cannot 'let things rip' in Covid-19 fight: PM Lee
ReplyDeleteWhile Singapore cannot go into an indefinite lockdown and stand still, it also cannot "simply let go and let things rip", said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a Facebook post on Saturday night (Oct 23).
"We have to travel this road to get to living safely with Covid-19. We want to get there with as few casualties as possible," Mr Lee said.
And the course which the multi-ministry task force tackling the pandemic is setting reflects the Government's judgment on how best to do this, he added.
The task force on Saturday announced several new measures designed to prepare Singapore for the safe resumption of more activities.
These include requiring vaccination for all staff returning to the workplace from Jan 1, as well as adding China's Sinovac to the national vaccination programme and expanding the home recovery scheme to certain pregnant women.
The task force also announced that some Covid-19 measures can be eased if the weekly infection growth rate drops below one.
The task force is co-chaired by Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong and Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.
In his post, PM Lee highlighted the weekly infection growth rate - that is, the ratio of community cases in the past week over the week before - as a number to watch.
Two weeks ago, this figure was 1.5, meaning that cases were doubling roughly every fortnight.
It is now 1.15, meaning that cases are growing 15 per cent each week. This works out to case numbers doubling about every month.
If the ratio drops below one and Singapore's hospital and intensive care unit situations remain stable, some measures can be eased, Mr Lee said.
"Many of you have written to express your frustrations about the restrictions, while others have voiced concerns that we are opening up too fast!" he added. "I fully understand how you feel. It has been a long journey, and the continuing uncertainty and disruption is hard on all of us."
Certain sectors - such as the food and beverage industry - have had an exceptionally tough time, Mr Lee observed.
He urged everyone to continue doing their part and exercise social responsibility as Singapore works towards living safely with the virus.
This includes taking vaccinations or booster doses when offered them, as they reduce an individual's chances of getting seriously ill, he said.
Mr Lee added: “Let's continue to stay safe and keep working together.”
Talks are cheap. Words sounds hollow. Meaningless.
ReplyDeletePeople who stay in ivory towers high up in the clouds, well protected and safe telling people on the ground struggling for a living and fully exposed to the treacherous Covid infections with the probability of facing death anytime, to continue to stay safe and keep working together!???
How convenient! How easily done! What the fucks?
Is normal for covid to change to the"48"strain.just like MTF.
ReplyDelete