Singapore to Introduce New Cleanliness Rules Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Singapore’s slower virus case growth is a marked contrast to the more rapid spread in South Korea and Japan.
(Bloomberg) -- The deadly coronavirus, which has now spread to more than 70 countries worldwide, looks to be becoming a global pandemic, Singapore’s National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said on Friday.
With cases emerging throughout Europe and in the U.S. “it is starting to look like a global pandemic everywhere in the world and as I said it is not going to be possible to shut ourselves out,” said Wong, who is co-chair of a multi-ministry task force established to deal with the virus.
“In fact, the bigger risk is importation of cases from countries where we have not had travel restrictions because the countries with travel restrictions may very well have contained the virus,” he said.
The World Health Organization has been criticized for stopping short of calling the rapidly-spreading coronavirus a pandemic, which it defines as the worldwide spread of a new disease. That designation could spur countries to roll out higher-level, emergency-grade response plans around the globe -- and bring more disruptions to daily life.
Singapore’s slower virus case growth is a marked contrast to the more rapid spread in some other developed Asian economies including South Korea and Japan. That’s led to questions about whether Singapore’s aggressive containment actions could be a model for other countries to copy, or if its unique circumstances as an advanced city-state with tight government controls mean its solutions aren’t easily repeatable.
By Friday, the number of cases globally approached 100,000 as the outbreak in the U.S. gathered pace, and China and South Korea continued to report new infections and deaths. Singapore has tallied 117 confirmed cases as of Thursday evening, while a total of 81 have fully recovered and been discharged from the hospital.
Earlier this month in the U.S., National Institutes of Health infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci told NBC News the coronavirus outbreak had now reached “likely pandemic proportions,” a reporter at the network said in a tweet.
Nevertheless, Singapore has stopped short of calling the outbreak a pandemic. “Because it is often a largely emotional element associated with this term it may be better to be more precise in our choice of words rather than use the word pandemic,” Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is also a co-chair of the task force said at the press conference on Friday morning. “Perhaps it would be more accurate talking about how it spread across countries.”
Cleaner Singapore
In the latest effort to quell transmission in Singapore, the government on Friday said it will amend its environmental public health laws later this year to introduce mandatory cleaning standards. It will cover public cleanliness standards on the frequency of disinfection of high contact areas, pest management and back-of-house waste management.
“Although Singapore is generally considered a clean and green city, we want to further step up cleanliness and hygiene standards in all facets of our lives, and make these our new norms,” Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said in a statement.
While the penalties for an offense under the new standards are not yet known, Singapore is known for its strict laws. Those caught littering or spitting at a public place face a maximum fine of S$2,000 for first offense while repeat offenders could be penalized up to S$10,000.
The first person in Singapore to be charged for cheating mask buyers amid the outbreak was handed three more charges on Friday after allegedly scamming victims out of about S$185,000 for more than 900 boxes of surgical face masks, Channel News Asia reported.
Despite the measures, Singapore continues to see new cases arising. This week it received an imported case of an individual who arrived in the city-state on a Turkish Airlines flight. The Health Ministry said the passenger was symptomatic while on board the flight and authorities will identify, contact trace and quarantine cabin crew as well as passengers who were sitting within two rows of him.
The virus could also impact the timing of the country’s next general election, which is required to be held by April 2021. While it is expected the poll will be called before the deadline, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said Wednesday the outbreak “would certainly be one of the considerations when we decide to go” and that choosing an election date would hinge on how the virus was impacting the economy and how severe it could become.
--With assistance from Melissa Cheok.
To contact the reporters on this story: Faris Mokhtar in Singapore at fmokhtar1@bloomberg.net;Philip J. Heijmans in Singapore at pheijmans1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joyce Koh at jkoh38@bloomberg.net, Ruth Pollard
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