In February, Singapore reported less than 100 cases. The low reporting with the economy continuing drew praises worldwide, with countries and the World Health Organisation holding up Singapore as a “role model”.
How did Singapore depress early cases?
This is done through a massive cover up exercise that refuse suspect cases from access to testing.
It was very hard to get a testing done, unless you have travelled overseas, came into contact with a confirmed case, or when you are in a critical condition. The Singapore government then told the GP doctors to issue a 5 days MC regime to anyone displaying symptoms of the coronavirus. For foreign workers, they were threatened to have their work passes revoked if they are tested healthy.
Has community cases arrived to single digits as claimed?
Today, the Singapore government is claiming success on bringing community cases to single digits. This is done by marginalising foreign workers and ignoring their infection count.
Everyday, around 8,000 tests have been conducted, claimed the Ministry of Health. However, there is no breakdown on the tests done. Nobody knows how many Singaporeans or permanent residents (classified as community) is tested each day. The Singapore government refuse to reveal this figure, because it has done very few tests.
It is very likely only 5 tests were done on citizens, and 1 tested positive.
Henceforth, achieving “single digit” infection rate for Singaporeans is meaningless when there is not enough people tested.
Reopening economy: Are Foreign Workers not living in Singapore?
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong is eating his own propaganda dissecting foreign worker infection from “community” cases. He actually believed it is okay to reopen the economy when the daily reporting rate is 800 on average.
At least half of the 323,000 foreign workers take public transport, eat at local coffee shops and mingle in shopping districts like Orchard Road on their day off (unless Singapore is going to force them to work with no off days, and that itself is another recipe for disaster). If infection of foreign workers are strictly contained among their community as the minister claimed, how did Mustafa Centre become a major cluster?
No country in the world separate infection by their nationality, and Singapore’s “unique” reporting only shows the severe class divide and racism in society. Foreign workers live in Singapore, they are part of the community, no matter how the state media warp logic.
What’s happening in June?
For sure, record infection among “community” cases will be on the rise. It is a gross mistake waiting to happen. Then again, the dictatorship government will not listen because it is drowned with corrupted powers.
Singapore will go back to lockdown again as soon as in August, because no massive testing on local population is done. It is no rocket science to bring down infection, there is a process, but the government is not following.
We should see the result by end June, and I hate to be proven right for the 3rd time with my prediction on foreign worker infection in January and advocation of massive testing in March.
Alex Tan
STR Editor