Singaporeans take fright at relaxation of Covid restrictions

Reopening the city-state has stoked a surge in new cases and panic among anxious residents

Protesters from the US to Australia and across Europe have railed against government interference and repressive Covid restrictions. But in Singapore, a sizeable chunk of the population is asking for even greater state control.

A petition is circulating in the city-state to bring back mandatory quarantine for all overseas travellers, despite the Delta variant already circulating widely, while a quarter of Singaporeans are in favour of a return to lockdown restrictions.

Singapore’s government announced with great optimism in June that it would change its “zero-Covid” approach and instead learn to live with the virus.

Its strategy was held up as a model for other countries looking for a safe way out of the pandemic. But as cases inevitably rose in August and September, panic set in.

Authorities responded this week by rolling back freedoms for residents despite outpacing most advanced economies in fully vaccinating 82 per cent of its population.

Tightly controlled Singapore, whose quasi-authoritarian government largely bars any protest, had come the furthest among Asian cities in opening up.

The decision has led to a rare occurrence in the city-state: rising public dissent over the government’s strategy.

“I have never in 20 years seen the academic or medical professional industry so vocal in their disagreement with the government as it is over the treatment of asymptomatic cases,” said Jeremy Lim, of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore.

Nearly a quarter of people in Singapore felt the latest restrictions were too lax, while more than half felt they were “just right”, according to market research firm Milieu Insight this week. One quarter felt they were too strict.

“What surprised me is how divided people were. There were a lot of people upset by the measures but an equal amount were supportive of more restrictions,” said Stephen Tracy, managing director of Milieu. “There is a sense, however, that the latest rules are not in line with the strategy the government laid out.”

A petition calling for all returning travellers to quarantine for two weeks in designated hotels or government facilities garnered nearly 3,000 signatures by Thursday.

“There is a lower tolerance for the sheer number of deaths and cases seen in other countries because of the way we avoided that for most of the pandemic,” said Dale Fisher, a senior infectious diseases consultant at Singapore’s National University Hospital. 

Anonymous

COVID-19 Singapore: Living With The Virus? - Think Again!

COVID-19 Singapore: Living With The Virus? - Think Again!

COVID-19 was deliberately planted by evil people to get the "Benefits that outweigh the risks". They get the benefits and we shoulder the risks.

Stupid, bookworm, Western-schooled and Western-oriented gentlemen bought it wholesale - bait, hook and sinker.

After putting their necks on the chopping board, they now find it extremely difficult to make a U-Turn by admitting their stupidity and apologise and change course.

They now have to continue the false narrative as long as possible, coming out with "mind-set changing strategy" to fool the daft masses once again, squarely putting the blame and responsibility on the mass public directly. How smart and convenient!

The false narrative could not withstand time testing. As time drags on, more and more lies have been exposed. One new lie could not cover the previous lie. Therefore, the series of lies and falsehoods have been dished out one after another, by changing the narrative again and again.

Politicians and medical experts who supported the false Western narrative of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines having 90 to 95 percent efficacy to prevent infections have been proven wrong. The efficacy is only 35%. It lasts only 3-4 months, not lifetime. Two shots were supposed to be enough. Now a third shot is required. But how long will the 3rd shot last? Another 3 to 6 months, probably? Then what? One shot every 6 months? How lucrative!

This is better than finding a gold mine. A gold mine can be depleted of natural resources in time but this vaccines 'gold mine' regime is forever!

Next, they say at least the vaccines will prevent spreading of infections. But again, it has been proven wrong. In reality, the vaccinated are the ones who spread more widely and quickly because they are unaware that they have been carrying the virus with them going around everywhere. And they brought home the virus to infect their old folks, increasing the number of casualties and the wealth of the cremation centres owners.

Next, they come out with the excuse that at least you won't get seriously sick, or don't need hospitalization. But again proven wrong. Fully vaccinated got infected, got seriously sick, got hospitalized and even died. About 40% of those who died had been fully vaccinated. At least 52% of those who have been infected are fully vaccinated.

Next, after making lots of US$Billions, they are now coming out with an antiviral medicine to reduce the need for hospitalization. Another brilliant gold mine idea. Another false narrative?

We all know fully well that up till now, no medication can cure viral infections. Only our own body's immune system can fight against the virus, sometimes successful, sometimes not. So, what anti-viral medicines are the Big Pharmaceuticals producing, really?

There seems to be no end in sight of this COVID-19 rampage by the coronavirus and also no end in sight of money-making at the expense of others' sufferings by those big time snake oil producers and sellers!

The only and best way is to follow China's zero tolerance strategy and the fast response method of nipping the spread of the disease at the bud, before it can take roots. And also prevent the virus at source (foreigners and own travellers who bring in the virus from other countries, like India, USA, UK, etc.).

This "Living with the Virus" idea won't work. There are too many unknowns. How can you live with so many unknowns?

Even the so-called "virus experts" are making fools of themselves again and again.

Among the unknowns, the invisibility of the virus to the naked eye is already a great challenge. It is like living in a haunted house with many ghosts around you, trying their best to attack you whenever you become careless. How to live a life like that? How long can you last living with invisible ghosts haunting you? You will go mad in no time!

Think again.


LIPS At Your Service.

Covid19 - Who is the guinea pig?

 

Covid19 - Should daily reports focus only on those who are likely to fall very ill?

The recent move to tighten safe management measures is not surprising but disappointing. The work-from-home policy may thin out the crowds. But some feel the vaccinated are being "penalised" with the dining-in numbers at F&B establishments reduced from five to two while the number allowed at hawker centres and coffee shops remains at two.

The authorities have repeatedly talked about Singapore living with the virus. Thus, this reversal in dining-in numbers is confusing, perhaps even sending a negative signal to both the local population and international communities.

Some countries have placed Singapore in their higher-risk travel group as we keep focusing on the total number of new cases per day.

From the daily Ministry of Health (MOH) press statements, we can tell that:

•About 98 per cent of the infected individuals had no symptoms or mild symptoms.

•Over the past 28 days, no one 18 years and below has required oxygen supplementation or intensive care unit (ICU) care.

•An average of more than 80 per cent of infected individuals who need oxygen supplementation or ICU care are 61 and above.

So is it time for MOH to report the number of just the 2 per cent new cases who are likely to fall very ill? At least one neighbouring country is already doing this.

If there are 2,000 new cases per day, 2 per cent works out to 40 cases per day. To allow for sufficient hospitalisation capacity, the percentage can be expanded to, say, 10 per cent and that will be 200 new cases.

When MOH announces 2,000 new cases per day, it causes unnecessary panic among the general public, especially those who are less informed of the more infectious Delta variant.

Of the patients who fall very ill, the elderly are much more likely to require oxygen or ICU care.

Should the authorities focus even more on this most vulnerable group? They can be identified easily at hawker centres, coffee shops and HDB void decks, chatting away for hours. Regrettably, most of them are either unmasked or improperly masked.

Besides educating them on the various safety measures, more safe distancing officers should be deployed where these seniors gather. Such deployment is less critical at shopping malls as these crowds are mostly younger people who are less likely to become very sick. That said, everyone must be socially responsible so they will not be infected and infect others.

The authorities can consider more measures (both incentives and disincentives) to further persuade the unvaccinated who are medically fit to be inoculated.

If Singapore can reduce or prevent the seniors from getting infected (particularly the unvaccinated), we can then truly move towards treating the disease as endemic. 

Anonymous

Japan has taken control of Chinese island of Taiwan through subterfuge.

                                                                                                                                                                                   The people in control of the Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party  ( DPP ) are not Chinese. They are the third generation descendants of former Japanese soldiers who invaded Taiwan in 1895.