Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Updates
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For Phase 2
What are the shops that can open,
Which cannot be opened under Phase 1 now ? -
The Seed of the Mishandling Sowed Right from the Start
The seed of ‘missteps’ has been sowed right from the beginning when the Ministerial Task Force (MTF) was formed. Instead of assembling a team of medical professionals better equipped to understand how a novel pathogen could infect and inflict harms on the people and community, the task force incepted all key 4G political leaders as members and the Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Kiat as the advisor.
So right from the start, the objective appears to be using the task force as a political platform for the 4G leaders to win the trust of Singaporeans by repeating the success of the 2003 SARs outbreak when Singapore emerged relatively unscathed. The ruling party eagerly wanted to show that its new generation of leaders were just as capable in dealing with the challenges of managing the crisis while keeping the economy afloat.
The truth is the ruling party was already under a lot of heat even before the outbreak of the crisis. Unlike the 2G and 3G leadership which assumed political leadership when Singapore was still in a position of strength and external environments were still relatively favourable, the 4G leadership comes in at the time when the external environments are never as unfavourable and Singapore is never weaker internally.
Externally, Singapore faces not only rising economic competition from China and other lower-cost economies within the region but also the geopolitical tussles between the incumbent global superpower US and the emerging regional power China. Over the last three years, under the Trump presidency, the tussles have spilled over into the economic arena in the form of a zero-sum trade war that threatens to fundamentally undermine the viability of the multilateral international trade regime which has served Singapore exceedingly well over the past decades.
Internally, over the last two decades, Singapore is increasingly roiled by various social, economic and political issues including widening income and wealth inequality; high BTO prices and falling resale prices of public housing; stagnating or falling wages amid rising living costs; rising business costs and the departure of MNCs; influx of both unskilled and skilled foreign workers depressing wages and competing with locals for jobs; structural unemployment due to failed efforts in restructuring the economy and in exploiting opportunities offered by the 4th industrial revolution; a growing gig economy and a disappearing middle class; falling total fertility rate and an ageing population; and, finally, the lack of transparency in the management of the national reserves.
Notably, many, if not all, of these domestic issues can be attributed to the rent-seeking growth model and deliberate government policies that disproportionately benefit a minority at the expense of the masses. Hence, even though Singapore has grown wealthier as a country over the past two decades, the economic gains have not being equitably distributed and life has gotten increasingly harder for many households at the lower rungs.
With the help of the captive local main stream media, the political elites have been exceedingly effective over the past two decades in spinning hard-to-argue-with narratives to justify their behaviours and to provide a positive spin to the deteriorating socioeconomic and political situations in Singapore. Those impressive narratives went on to help them win accolades from international media and community which the ruling party then deftly exploited to bolster their image at home. The harsh reality on the ground, however, stands testimonial to the fact that many of the facades underpinned by those narratives have been crumbling.
The incoming 4G leadership thus badly needs to use the crisis as a platform to proof themselves to the electorate as being worthy for trust and support. But, unlike President Moon Jae-in of South Korea whose success in containing the Covid-19 outbreak helped to secure him his second term of presidency, the 4G’s political gamble backfired.
The predominant presence of political leaders instead of medical professionals in a task force meant to tackle a healthcare crisis in the end led to decisions being made based more on narrowly-focused political considerations at the expense of efficacy of the healthcare system and of the broader interests of the populace.
A lot more at https://tinyurl.com/yashkhlf -
Am looking forward to visiting Daiso, ZTP, HH etc
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phtthp\" post_id=\"1977468\" time=\"1590297172\" user_id=\"35251:
You can now go visit your dentist for regular polishing and other treatments for one......
For Phase 2
What are the shops that can open,
Which cannot be opened under Phase 1 now ? -
phtthp\" post_id=\"1977468\" time=\"1590297172\" user_id=\"35251:
Phase 1 (https://www.gov.sg/article/safe-re-opening-how-singapore-will-resume-activities-after-the-circuit-breaker)
For Phase 2
What are the shops that can open,
Which cannot be opened under Phase 1 now ?
Most retail outlets other personal services will not re-open in Phase One.
Dining in at F&B outlets will continue to be disallowed.
Only selected services, namely, motor vehicle servicing, aircon servicing, basic pet grooming services, school bookshops and retail shops selling school uniforms will be allowed to resume.
Hairdressers and barbers will also be allowed to resume offering all hairdressing services, beyond basic haircut services.
All home-based businesses that operate using a delivery/collection model will also be allowed to resume.
To check if a business may resume, refer to https://covid.gobusiness.gov.sg/permittedlist/.
Phase 2 (https://www.gov.sg/article/post-circuit-breaker-when-can-we-move-on-to-phases-2-and-3)
More firms and businesses will gradually be allowed to re-open
Starting with F&B dine-in and retail outlets, gyms and fitness studios, and tuition and enrichment centres. -
For those who are still sourcing for kids masks in prep for Term 3...I let P4 kiddo try out several types at home during past few days. His verdict?
cloth mask - too thick & suffocating
disposable mask - more breathable but traps sweat. Kid size: slightly too small, whereas adult size: ear loops fit but the rectangle piece is too large.
“Gill” brand mask - much more comfortable. Easier to breathe since no parts are pressing on the nostrils at all. The silicone rubber seal is definitely “tighter” than the disposable masks which alway had air gaps at the side/bottom. Straps are fully adjustable to fit any size head, adult or child.
ST write up about Gill mask: “Local company invents new mask to tackle global shortage; 1,000 being shipped here for sale”
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/coronavirus-local-company-invents-new-mask-to-tackle-global-shortage-1000-being?xtor=CS3-18&utm_source=STiPhone&utm_medium=share&utm_term=2020-05-24%2014%3A05%3A34 -
zac's mum\" post_id=\"1977491\" time=\"1590302643\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=1977491 time=1590302643 user_id=53606]
Will you let your kid to wear the Face shield (as shown in MOE posters) without any face mask on?
For those who are still sourcing for kids masks in prep for Term 3...I let P4 kiddo try out several types at home during past few days. His verdict?
cloth mask - too thick & suffocating
disposable mask - more breathable but traps sweat. Kid size: slightly too small, whereas adult size: ear loops fit but the rectangle piece is too large.
“Gill” brand mask - much more comfortable. Easier to breathe since no parts are pressing on the nostrils at all. The silicone rubber seal is definitely “tighter” than the disposable masks which alway had air gaps at the side/bottom. Straps are fully adjustable to fit any size head, adult or child.
ST write up about Gill mask: “Local company invents new mask to tackle global shortage; 1,000 being shipped here for sale”
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/coronavirus-local-company-invents-new-mask-to-tackle-global-shortage-1000-being?xtor=CS3-18&utm_source=STiPhone&utm_medium=share&utm_term=2020-05-24%2014%3A05%3A34[/quote] -
We have a tinted one at home so I let him try it. Wearing such a heavy thing on the head gives him headache. Plus can expect some giddiness from the curved plastic, even if fully clear & transparent.
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The disadvantage of being a small country with a small population means we are always slower in everything? Not sure if it's complacency, inadequacy or incompetency...
Jadefox, don't compare with 2G and 3G lah, as they didn't have social media to bother them then. No one could compare with their friends. But now I can see my overseas friends posting pics of themselves dining at partitioned tables, as well as timely newsfeeds of progress in other F&Bs, retail and grooming outlets worldwide, I have to admit I do get flustered at times by our slowness and lack of manpower here.
What are the Plastics SMEs doing besides manufacturing Toyogo storage boxes, supermarket bags, SKP ziplock bags and F&B takeaway boxes and BBT cups that kill the environment? It's time to do good, those Plastics SMEs. :mad:
Has any consumer business ordered acrylic or plexiglass partitions from them yet?
F&B/Retail/Personal Grooming
Bangkok restaurant
https://postimg.cc/K10wpwJK
Germany supermarket
https://postimg.cc/QBR6R35M
Germany pharmacy
https://postimg.cc/SYLt6vnx
Madrid restaurant
https://postimg.cc/8jBqMjvm
Milan bistro
https://postimg.cc/nMq5fC3f
Texas Hair Salon
https://postimg.cc/WdYYwr1g
Rome restaurant
https://postimg.cc/TLVZ0wSx
Netherlands restaurant
https://postimg.cc/Vdfc7qmV
Milan cafe
https://postimg.cc/kBXkN7yr
Milan Nail Salon
https://postimg.cc/4nTGcCMZ
Tokyo Bank
https://postimg.cc/jDCYTRW6
Schools
Some weeks ago, I spammed this thread with pics of East Asian schools with partitioned desks. Now, even European schools have caught up and done it in their schools (well, at least selected schools featured by their media). They got their first cases much later than us (23 Jan), but ironically, they are now quicker in their \"post-Covid19 nomalcy\" response than us. Tsk tsk.
Netherlands primary school
https://postimg.cc/PNK75BnS
France primary school
https://postimg.cc/kD5cfGLy
https://postimg.cc/ppwJWZr0
https://postimg.cc/d7K6BBK7
East Asian schools have \"upgraded\" from face masks to higher quality plexiglass partitions now! And we're still talking about cloth masks and face shields and staggered recess.
China high school
https://postimg.cc/8FSRgzcs
South Korea high school
https://postimg.cc/HjTKHTRJ
China middle school face shield a month ago
https://postimg.cc/H8WPttX0
East China Jiangsu school canteen for tertiary
https://postimg.cc/JHyjmDLV -
zac's mum\" post_id=\"1977494\" time=\"1590303864\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=1977494 time=1590303864 user_id=53606]
Just tell your son it's 孙悟空的 ''紧箍咒'' that he cannot take off until he leaves the school compound.
We have a tinted one at home so I let him try it. Wearing such a heavy thing on the head gives him headache. Plus can expect some giddiness from the curved plastic, even if fully clear & transparent.[/quote]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=harY8-ZSVEc][/youtube]
If your child is in preschool or primary school, they probably get those face shields with rivets/\"hinges\" which are similar to the sun-protective visor that golfers/tennis players don and the one you have. You can lift up the visor at an angle to eat from the bowl.
The foam/sponge headband type are without \"hinges\", so your chopsticks and spoon will langgar the edge of the visor. I have tried it a few days ago. The Unity type requires your child to have 20/20 eyesight. :evil: If you want to makan, you need to lift up the specs frame and place it on your forehead before feeding yourself.
The sun visor
https://postimg.cc/BLdYDGNF
Standard face shield for HCWs has a bit of room (thanks to the protrusion of foam headband) for your cutlery to enter.
https://postimg.cc/qN58gx1h
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