Lockdown Again

Since the start of the 4-week lockdown – Sunday 16 May to 13 June 2021 – we have had to postpone three sold-out dinners. Our sincerest apologies for the disappointment caused.

RACIST?

If you knew a particular Indian or Chinese restaurant is serving food that gives you food poisoning, would you eat there. Or order takeout?

Should you be considered anti-Indian or anti-Chinese if you don’t patronize the restaurant?

I think that’s simply COMMON SENSE!

When the whole world knew India was/still is having the most number of infections and deaths in the world because of a new Covid variant, Singapore continued to accept visitors from that country.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had refused to declare a lockdown.

Singapore ends up having to go into one because no thanks to Modi and the visitors from his country – who were probably trying to flee India in the first place – the new variant arrived in Singapore.

Couldn’t the Singapore Government wait for the situation in India to improve before allowing them to come here?

Wasn’t it reckless to take the risk?

16 MONTHS DOWN THE DRAIN

Since March 2020, we have endured putting on and taking off masks every day; panic buying in supermarkets; frustrations in domestic life; breakup in relationships, divorces, lockdown; loss of jobs; diminishing savings; business failures; sickness and deaths from Covid; vaccination, tiny rays of hope; bigger rays of hope …

Back to lockdown.

One cabinet minister had said “Singapore needs workers”.

At any cost?

For 16 months, people who work and live in Singapore – whether we are citizens or otherwise – we diligently followed the regulations, rules, and safe distancing protocols whether Malaysians, Thais, Filipinos, Burmese, Hong Kongers, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Australians, Kiwis, Indians, Bangladeshis, Italians, French, Spanish, Germans, Dutch, Norwegians, Finns, Danes, British, Irish, Brazilians, Chileans, and more.

We are in this together.

WHAT ABOUT US?

Did the cabinet minister and his colleagues consider the risks posed by the planeloads of Indian visitors/workers against the jobs and livelihood of millions of workers in Singapore and the billions we would collectively contribute to the economy between 16 May and 13 June 2021?

Whose is their loyalty and priority?

In just two weeks, Singapore has gone from being the safest country to be during Covid to the country with the highest – per head of population – infected with the Indian variant.

As of 16 May 2021, according to Munich-based GISAID (Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Date) the number of infected cases of B.1.617 variant:

BUBBLE PIERCED AGAIN?

Next week Wednesday 26 May 2021 is to be the restart of a travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore.

The first attempt in November 2020 was burst even before it could take off.

Will Hong Kong – which has no reported cases of the Indian variant – wish to take the risk we pose?

Now that Singapore has become the country with one of the highest incidents of the B.1.617variant, other initiatives that have had so much hope pinned on them are also in jeopardy.

Hong Kong Singapore Travel Bubble • 26 May 2021
Shangri-La Dialogue • June 4 to 5 June 2021
World Economic Forum • 17 to 20 August 2021

ANYTHING TO LEARN?

This Wednesday 28 to 28 May 2021 – when the current school term ends – Primary, Secondary, and Junior College students will revert to learning from home.

Will Singaporeans also get to learn which of the present cabinet ministers – in their internal discussion and debate – voted to let visitors from India into the country and which among them were against the idea?

We would then know who is interested in governance, and who in gambling with the country and our lives.

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