How to Avoid a Singapore COVID - 19 Lockdown.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of IMPROF.
The common definition of a ‘lockdown’ is a state of isolation or restricted access instituted as a security measure. It has been instituted in many countries since the advent of the ongoing pandemic, namely Covid-19. It will be an understatement to say that the various measures to curb the spread of this virus and the reallocation of financial resources to help the economic devastation is unprecedented and historical. Many will not live to retell this calamity and many businesses may fold-up permanently or never recover.
“Many will not live to retell this calamity and many businesses may fold-up permanently or never recover.”
In the aforementioned circumstances, Singapore seems to stand-out on how we have handled each wave of bad news. But the absence of our social etiquettes became very apparent when Singapore adjusted the 'Disease Outbreak Response System Condition' (DORSCON) level from yellow to orange. Suddenly, there were immediate long queues and panic buying in the supermarkets island-wide and selfishness reared its ugly head.
“We may not see any relief anytime soon. ”
As Singapore seems to be making some progress on arresting the spread of Covid-19 at home, situations in other parts of the world are unfortunately not improving. New cases and deaths in the USA and Italy have also been rising exponentially. This coupled with locals and visitors coming back to Singapore from countries with high infection numbers further added on to the woes. All these are indications that we may not see any relief anytime soon.
PRACTICE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Several nations have already experienced the dire state of lockdown and the response from their citizens has not been welcoming. Social media is riling with people expressing frustration, desperateness or sadly in some instances resignation to fate. Schools and businesses are subject to shut down with the exception of grocery stores and pharmacies. Thousands find their livelihood disrupted and food becomes scarce in what becomes a double whammy scenario as supply chains concurrently get disrupted too. When such a state of emergency was first declared in Hubei province, China, essential goods began to be rationed, impacting children and the elderly more than others.
If we try and do the following and strongly advocate these practices within our circle of influence it will assist in not pushing the Government to take further drastic measures:
Practice social distancing where possible i.e. to keep a safe distance between each other to minimise the spreading of the virus;
Constantly practicing personal hygiene especially washing our hands properly and frequently;
Put on a mask if unwell and stay away from crowded area or interacting with people till we recover;
Self-checking of temperature at least twice a day;
Avoid attending events with a large gathering and avoid organising any such events for time being;
Staying healthy and improve your immune systems through healthy diets;
Diligently adhering to the serial advisories and announcements from relevant authorities;
Avoid all non-essential travels abroad;
Do not share unverified information through social media that may cause anxiety or panic;
Look out for one another and help the under-privileged and the aged.
“We stay at work for you, please stay at home for us!”
Globally, individuals are being urged to practise the concept of “self-imposed lockdown”. Government and government agencies are “urging”, “heeding” and “promoting” the public to stay away from group events. Health care workers globally have taken to social media to plead to the public with “we stay at work for you, please stay at home for us!” message. Thus if we can stay home and away from the crowd as much as possible it will most certainly help everyone in our fight against Covid-19.
Tips to practice self-imposed lockdown.
Be prepared with a series of things to do when you are in ‘lockdown’ mode.
Get the books you always wanted to read either from the library or bookstore;
Ensure you have essential food items in your home so that you do not have to leave your home to purchase more groceries unnecessarily;
Make sure connectivity and necessary Apps are downloaded and ready to be used in your home computers and electronic gadgets;
Tell your friends and relatives and better if you can get them to join you too, virtually of course;
Hook up with them virtually to beat boredom or monotony;
Don’t forget to include physical activities and this might just be the right time to lose that extra kilo or improve your stamina;
Go out minimally for that sunshine;
Share the experience with your friends and social media;
With so many on-line courses you may want to use this time to pick up a new skill;
Use this opportunity to strengthen family bonding.
The advantage of practising self-imposed lockdown is that we will not be subject to any penalties but we will be significantly aiding the healing process the world needs right now. We will have the liberty and choice of going out if we need to leave the home in case of an emergency. The Government can also redeploy resources optimally to get Singapore back on its feet much faster. Various government and social-service organisations will not be unduly stressed and can focus resources on the less advantaged. The front liners, especially in the health care sector, will also get some relief as they are the most stretched in the current pandemic.
More importantly, protecting our loved ones and the wider community by limiting gatherings with our family and friends is not only advised, but will also be key to our containment of this infection at the earliest possibility.
Let us take bold steps and help each other by practising a self-imposed lockdown today and be exemplary to the world once again.