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Singapore has entered a new chapter in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the government announced that the country will enter phase three of its reopening on December 28.
Capacity limits in public places will be lowered by up to 65%. Groups of up to eight people will be allowed to meet compared to the current maximum of five.
The circuit breaker ended on June 1, and since then Singapore has embarked on a three-phase approach to safely resume operations.
Singapore has the lowest coronavirus death count globally (A Fouda et al., 2020). As of December 21, the Southeast Asian nation only reported 29 deaths among more than 58,000 people who have been infected with COVID-19.
What is the secret of Singapore’s success in reducing the spread of the new coronavirus?
First of all, there is a geographical factor. Like other island nations such as Taiwan, New Zealand, and Iceland, Singapore also has an advantageous geography that has allowed it a degree of isolation.
However, it is not the only factor, as China, a huge mainland country, has also managed to contain the outbreak. On the other hand, Indonesia, the largest archipelago in the world, has failed to prevent the SARS-Cov2 virus from spreading to other islands outside of Java and Bali. Therefore, we must take a look at other strategies that Singapore has adopted.
Border controls
As soon as information about the disease emerged from Wuhan, the city at the center of China’s outbreak, in December last year, Singapore began to prepare by imposing border controls.
On January 2, 2020, the Ministry of Health (MOH) issued a travel advisory and required all passengers arriving from Wuhan to undergo temperature checks. Since January 23, Singaporeans have been advised to postpone all travel to Hubei province and non-essential travel to mainland China.
When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency in late January, Singapore advised its citizens not to travel to any country with COVID-19 cases.
Singapore also closed its land border with Malaysia by implementing strict controls. Malaysian and Indonesian travelers must deliver a 14-day Home Stay Notice (SHN) at specific SHN facilities. People who violate your Notice to Stay at Home can be fined up to $ 10,000 or jailed for up to six months, or both.
Additionally, travelers who are not Singapore citizens or permanent residents must submit a valid negative COVID-19 test result as a condition of approval to enter the country. Suspicious cases are brought directly to hospitals, and symptomatic travelers and selected travelers are swabbed as a precaution.
New cases of COVID-19 in Singapore were mostly asymptomatic and detected through screening and surveillance. They will have to stay home for two weeks even if the result of a swab test is negative. As a result, the number of imported cases can be minimized and the healthcare system will not be overwhelmed.
Health institutions
The government’s prompt response just 21 days after news of the virus emerged was the crucial step that led to Singapore’s success in tackling the pandemic. In January, the Ministry of Health and the National Center for Infectious Diseases distributed guidelines on the treatment of patients with suspected COVID-19 infections to hospitals, general practitioners, and laboratories (WC Lee, CY Ong, 2020).
In the same month, Singapore began preparing hundreds of emergency beds for COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms. Total capacity has increased significantly in just a few months. At the end of June, there were more than 10,000 places available.
The country also set up swab isolation facilities for patients awaiting swab test results. There are more than 4,000 bed places in these facilities. (A Fouda et al, 2020).
In addition, the authorities launched the SG Healthcare Corps on April 7. The program aims to support healthcare workers in the fight against COVID-19. Currently, up to 3,000 new health workers have joined the workforce.
Singapore’s willingness is also reflected in its efforts to help neighboring countries. In March, Tempo, an Indonesian weekly magazine, reported that the Temasek Foundation, a Singapore-based non-profit organization, wanted to present a donation of COVID-19 test kits to Indonesia, but the Indonesian Minister of Health, Terawan Agus Putranto finally rejected the offer.
– Contact tracking
Surveillance techniques were used for the first time for people working in health facilities. They should report their body temperature twice a day. If their temperature is above 37.5 degrees Celsius (99.5 degrees Fahrenheit), they are not allowed to work and should seek medical help (WC Lee, CY Ong, 2020).
The Ministry of Health, which is in charge of contact tracing, is working in partnership with the Singapore Police to identify close contacts of those who have been quarantined. During the process, they use TraceTogether, a community-driven contact tracing app to help stop the spread of COVID-19. With this help, the authorities managed to deal with several massive groups and prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
TraceTogether was released on March 20. It takes advantage of short distance Bluetooth signals between phones to detect other nearby participating application users. If someone with the app is diagnosed with COVID-19, they can simply upload their data to the Ministry of Health, which can then decrypt the information and begin communicating with other TraceTogether users who have been in close contact with the confirmed case. GovTech, the government agency that developed the app, also distributed TraceTogether Tokens especially for vulnerable seniors who do not own smartphones.
Non-governmental institutions, such as large corporations and universities, are also developing similar applications. Students at the National University of Singapore (NUS) use the uNivUs app as a track and trace tool. According to NUS, authorities say they plan to integrate the app with TraceTogether.
UNivUS is used to report body temperature twice a day and also as a warning tool not to perform activities outside the permitted zone. This app also offers a giveaway for students and staff who submit their reports regularly. If they do not give a report within a certain period, there will be a reduction in points, which can lead to certain penalties from the university.
Community compliance
How they ensured that people adhered to health protocols was the key to Singapore’s success in containing the spread of the disease in the initial phase of the outbreak. Before the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, the Health Ministry advised the public to wash their hands regularly, wear a mask, keep physical distance and seek medical attention if they are unwell. (WC Lee et al., 2020).
On April 7, the government initiated an eight-week “circuit breaker” measure to reduce cases. Authorities decided to exit the circuit breaker on June 1, as the daily number of new community cases had dropped significantly and they announced phase one or safe reopening as of June 2.
In phase one, economic activities that did not present a high risk of transmission were resumed. However, the social, economic and entertainment activities that carried the highest risk remained closed. People were only allowed to leave the house for essential activities and had to wear a mask when doing so.
The city-state went into phase two or safe transition on June 19, and most commercial and social activities resumed. In phase two, retail establishments were allowed to reopen with safe distancing measures, and dinner with food and drink was also allowed, although there should be no more than five people per table.
In phase three or safe nation, the masks are still mandatory. Scientists and doctors in Singapore conducted an experiment showing that masks used correctly are effective in preventing the spread of respiratory droplets when people speak, sneeze or cough. One study also found that without wearing a mask, frequent hand washing will be ineffective (VC-C Cheng et al, 2020).
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