REACH - 44. Inter-agency taskforce to ensure well-being of foreign workers and to improve their living conditions (SK)
8 Apr 2020 (10 am - 10pm)

REACH
[11:02 am, 08/04/2020] : 📢 Topic 📢
Dear Contributors,
Inter-agency taskforce consisting of MOM, MOH, NEA, SAF, SPF, Migrant Workers’ Centre and more to provide enhanced support to foreign workers and dormitory operators.
What do you think of the inter-agency taskforce set up to ensure the well-being of foreign workers and to improve their living conditions?
👉🏼 https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/manpower/coronavirus-inter-agency-taskforce-to-provide-support-to-foreign-workers?xtor=CS3-18&utm_source=STiPhone&utm_medium=share&utm_term=2020-04-07%2022%3A04%3A39
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Ron Ho
[11:41 am, 08/04/2020] : Dear Reach, this is a good move by adding SPF and MOD to the task force. I am assuming they will be present at site. As I had commented two days ago, confining such a huge amount of people like 17,000 within one premise over half a month period could present a security risk. In addition, I would like to suggest a thorough audit be carried out by BCD and SCD to see if building, safety and other weaknesses can be identified and resolved. I am glad our government is giving priority to these huge places of abode.

Mike
[11:45 am, 08/04/2020] : Observed a growing number of active Covid-19 Coranvirus Clusters in the Dormitories.

During this period of Circuit Breaker (CB) from 07 April 2020 to 04 May 2020, it is critically to stem out any growing number of active virus clusters to prevent further Community transmission of the virus spread with so many Community Clusters growing in Singapore.

It is very important to flatten the curve and to contain the growing situation as much as possible.

This inter-agency taskforce is most necessary to ensure that the living conditions of the foreign domestic workers (FDWs) are well taken care of and to improve the living conditions further.

It is necessary to establish peace and order knowing that their health and the Taskforce and people on site are well taken care of too.

Thank you.

[12:20 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
Today as of now, glad to see that the mall are not crowded.
Good that people are kept away from the malls and reduced the risk of local transmission.

[12:28 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心: Parks and jogging track also not crowded.

[12:34 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
Yesterday 103 are local transmission.

41 are unlink cases.

This indicates that community spreading are still brewing and not contain.

Every one has to take circuit breaker measures seriously and ensure that we succeed to flatten the infection curve this few coming days or weeks.

Else we will have failed and all the government budget and reserves as well as all the business and workers jobs sacrifices will be wasted.

Min
[12:44 pm, 08/04/2020] : Actually I'm wondering say 2000 of 20000 workers get infected. What happens next, can't contact trace anymore. What is the next plan of action in a mass infection situation like this?

[1:34 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
The purpose of this circuit breaker is to break the local transmission chain.

Within 1 month all those contracted with symptoms will have surface and send for treatment.

All those who are mild asymptomatic will have healed and not infectious.

Thus every one will have to treat this circuit breaker seriously and not infect one another.

People should stay away from malls and crowded areas.

China Wuhan now is clear of viruses because of the lockdown.

We also must treat this seriously.

Mike
[1:39 pm, 08/04/2020] : Well said and detailed. Agreed.

This Circuit Breaker (CB) is very important. Else, more stringent measures may follow suit if the figures are not coming down by near ot by 04 May 2020.

Let's not have a Power Trip or Total Shutdown.

The impact will be unimaginable and huge.

Let's work these through.

Thank you.

Eugene
[1:35 pm, 08/04/2020] : Took the public transport this morning and theres seems to be only a minor improvement. I think there are some companies out there who are not IMPLEMENTING WFH even though they can
[1:35 pm, 08/04/2020] : Hope MOM cna step up enforcement

Zie Chon
[1:36 pm, 08/04/2020] : Yeah in terms of proportion of population Singapore infection numbers/rate is higher than a few Chinese cities. Really need people to batten down.
[1:36 pm, 08/04/2020] : It's a luxury that we can move freely for necessities at individual level, shouldn't abuse it.

[1:37 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心: COVID-19:
Man, 71, arrested after he insisted on eating at void deck, refused to leave
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid-19-man-arrested-void-deck-eating-police-refused-leave-12620530

[2:03 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
(1) I think the inter-agencies effort to ensure well-beings of foreign workers dorm - is to ensure orderly behavior during this quarantine period - as many have been infected.

(2) Ensure well-beings of foreign workers to ensure they are properly quarantined and those infected treated.

(3) Ensure those not infected are separated and not get infected.

(4) Give assurance to foreign workers that they will be well-fed, keep occupied with some entertainment (eg. access to their handphone to surf net, tv etc) - though no crowding with friends in the dorm to prevent spread.

(5) Give assurance that their pay is still intact?
(Yesterday, i saw 2 foreign workers separately --- feel very loss and sad - one in a bus-stop sitting there for a long time.
And another at a bench watching his handphone. But can see he is in despair).
--- As long as they knew that they can still feed their family ---- I think they will be less likely to become disorderly).
--- But no work, still got pay also not very right ----- Ai dont know what is the best way forward .......

(6) Also notice that SAF and Police are involved --- means prep for any mass disturbance ......

Blue and White Flag Guy (my 1st disciple - a Christian)
[2:23 pm, 08/04/2020] : 3. It's a new way to defuse the situation, courtesy of @Phyllis​!

Zie Chon (new guy just join)
[2:25 pm, 08/04/2020] : No. 18. Confuse and dissolve, Phyllis Art of WhatsApp

Phyllis (my 3rd disciple - a Christian)
[2:25 pm, 08/04/2020] : Are you Zen Master's disciple?!!?

Zie Chon (new guy just join)
[2:26 pm, 08/04/2020] : Hmm... actually I don't know what my disciples call me behind my back.

[3:03 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
My close friend's appeal :-
With local transimission becoming widespread, personal responsibility to help stop the transmission is now very heavy on every individual.

We just need to comply with the rules and endure this period.

If a few people breaks the rule and transmission persists, everyone will be punished further to suffer even greater loss and stiffer measures.

Please, please, please stay home.

REACH
[4:15 pm, 08/04/2020] : Coronavirus: New $30m grant launched to speed up local production of eggs, vegetables and fish
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/coronavirus-new-30m-grant-launched-to-speed-up-local-production-of-eggs-vegetables-and?xtor=CS3-18&utm_source=STiPhone&utm_medium=share&utm_term=2020-04-08%2015%3A04%3A34

[7:54 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
(1) If Singapore can ramp up local production in eggs, vegetables and fish - I think in future Singapore can also ramp up production in meat on pork, chicken, mutton and beef as well as shrimp, sotong etc

(2) Why leh? Because Singapore is also doing cell-culture production of meat in chicken, beef, pork and in future mutton, shrimp, sotong etc - in the mince-form.
When we succeed in cell-culture meat, we can go on to do tissue-re-engineering to make it look exactly like the real meat.

(3) If Singapore food laboratory succeeded in doing so - then we can achieve self-sufficiency in our food production - not only in eggs, vegetables and fish - but also chicken, beef, pork and in future mutton, shrimp, sotong etc

Alvin
[7:58 pm, 08/04/2020] : Danny reminded me something.
Why only target of 30%? I know we don't necessarily consume the excess eggs, veges, etc but can't we sell them?
Any excess capacity is a boon to us. And yes following what Danny mentioned, why don't we go into other produce and meat as well?
We should aim bigger and higher. Rare events like coronavirus (ie Black Swans) are far and few between but their impact is great and all it takes is for one major impacting event to wipe out our food stocks. Low probability, high impact: we must prepare for this. Should look at other sectors as well and buff them up. My 2.14 cents

Sam
[8:00 pm, 08/04/2020] : The reason is quite obvious. Malaysian egg cost 10 cent one. Thai egg travel by air cost 30 cents. If you want to produce one in Singapore, the cost probably much higher. Question is when egg is abundant, who is going to pay for the expensive one.
[8:01 pm, 08/04/2020] : The is the same argument for making face mask when you can buy from China cheaply.
[8:01 pm, 08/04/2020] : Singapore do what we can do best.
[8:01 pm, 08/04/2020] : High human capital value added services.

[8:04 pm, 08/04/2020] : Also, another issue. Who is going to rear chicken? Are you going to ask your children and grandchildren going into agriculture when even Chinese are getting the people to move up the chain?
[8:09 pm, 08/04/2020] : And of course we have the big problem to go into agriculture to be self sufficient. We just don't have enough land. Even with vertical farming, we have constraints. How high can we build?

Alvin
[8:03 pm, 08/04/2020] : and therefore we are at the mercy of others when they can't export to us anymore

Alvin
[8:12 pm, 08/04/2020] : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm7t70G95fg
[8:12 pm, 08/04/2020] : dun underestimate our youngsters
[8:13 pm, 08/04/2020] : they are a passionate bunch
[8:13 pm, 08/04/2020] : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsEUtzvV7dQ

Ben
[8:19 pm, 08/04/2020] : 1) maybe ramp up production of artificial meat. Way more efficient and better for environment than animal meat.?

Rama
[4:23 pm, 08/04/2020] : Countries learn to love face masks in struggle to contain coronavirus https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/countries-learn-to-love-face-masks-in-struggle-to-contain-coronavirus?&utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=addtoany

Rama
[6:11 pm, 08/04/2020] : Volunteers to sew 50,000 cloth masks at home amid Covid-19 'circuit breaker' https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/volunteers-sew-50000-cloth-masks-home-amid-covid-19-circuit-breaker#.Xo2jNhG500I.whatsapp

XaniceAfcai
[6:38 pm, 08/04/2020] : It takes the whole nation to co-operate else cb will become longer..
[6:39 pm, 08/04/2020] : I see the staff at the mrt eateries very sad looking and sian. No business.

Dongliang
[6:40 pm, 08/04/2020] : When Wuhan started lockdown in late jan. The government said: bear with the inconveniences for 2 weeks, then 1 month then 2 months then 70 days....

XaniceAfcai
[6:44 pm, 08/04/2020] : 1. Some parents had issue logging into SLS. Reset pw few times.

2. Suppose to work fr home but turn out can only work after 1pm.

3. Hdb is trembling bec of yelling fr mum to kids.

4. Every class diff concept. Some have live lesson and some dun have.

5. No proper instruction to parents or child what are the items to prepare.

We have no web cam, teacher expected child to have hp. We working parents how vto borrow hp to them. Although child is online, he can see teacher but teacher can't see him. Teacher txt n said child not online, absence. 🤦‍♀️

6. SLS is down at 10am and revert to manual worksheet practise.

[6:55 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
Why for 2nd consecutive days, the same malls have max out crowd after dinner or after work time?
Will authority look into reducing these crowded areas?

Rama
[7:43 pm, 08/04/2020] : Covid-19 pandemic could lead to 150,000 to 200,000 retrenchments, say economists https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/covid-19-pandemic-could-lead-150000-200000-retrenchments-say-economists#.Xo243jG4PQQ.whatsapp

REACH
[8:45 pm, 08/04/2020] : Record 142 new Covid-19 cases in S'pore ; Indian national later confirmed to have Covid-19 died while awaiting test result
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/record-142-new-covid-19-cases-in-spore-indian-national-later-confirmed-to-have?xtor=CS3-18&utm_source=STiPhone&utm_medium=share&utm_term=2020-04-08%2020%3A04%3A39

REACH
[9:20 pm, 08/04/2020] : [Sent by Gov.sg]
COVID-19: 8 Apr update
New cases: 142
- Imported: 2
- Local cases (linked): 68 (40 cases linked to clusters at foreign worker dorms; 28 linked to non-dorm clusters/cases)
- Pending contact tracing: 72
Total cases: 1,623
- Hospitalised: 669  (29 in ICU)
- In isolation, private hospitals*: 542
- Fatalities: 6
- Total discharged: 406 (Discharged today: 29)
More: go.gov.sg/moh8apr
*Patients doing well but still testing positive for the virus are moved to Community Isolation Facilities and private hospitals
Stay at home as much as possible
✅ Allowed:
- Visiting family members for daily needs, caring for elderly parents or informal childcare
- Exercise alone or with others who live with you in an open-air stadium, public park but keep at least 1 metre apart
❌ Not allowed
- Social gatherings with family/friends who do not live together (eg. private parties, gathering at HDB void deck)
- Dining out
Non-compliance
- Fine up to $10,000 and/or jail up to 6 mths

[9:20 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心: (1)
Now with so many local transmission reported plus 72 unlink cases, should we not adopt tougher measures to weed out the asymptomatic cases :-

a. Compulsory wearing of face masks the moment people step out into the public - public reusable ones.

b. Strict adherence to Work-at-Home, Study-at-Home - and strict enforcement for those who flout these measures.

c. Weed out all crowded areas such as malls displayed in Spaceout and parks display in NParks satellite map and mobile signals - and actively persuade all crowds to leave home.

d. Establish and map out pattern of travel of vicinity for those unlink cases --- where there is a possibility that these unlink cases could have cross path with those existing clusters (eg. in toilets, lifts etc) - and got exposed to the virus.
Using mobile data - is the most effective in doing this.

e. More testing to be conducted for those that appear in the vicinity with those unlink cases - even though they are strangers.

f. We must collectively urge and take stronger measures to keep local transmission down and most importantly - the unlink cases.

Suma
[9:21 pm, 08/04/2020] : Agree

Ben
[9:27 pm, 08/04/2020] : I think we have to adopt these strict measures. We have a 4 week window to get this done. It's costing lives, businesses and billions of $$. The malls should be closed and access to supermarkets managed carefully. No queuing allowed - maybe get a ticket and come back during your alloted time.

Kelvin Law
[9:45 pm, 08/04/2020] : Approach has to be calibrated.  Are we in complete lockdown yet?  No.  Even as it is, people are feeling the stress when we are barely cleared of the 1st week.  Doing all that will cause even more stress.  Looking at our discussion here, you can already gauge the stress level.

Ben
[9:47 pm, 08/04/2020] : The only difference mentioned was to wear a face mask while out. The rest of the list was to focus on tracing and identifying how the virus is transmitting. Enforcing the measures is important otherwise, what's the point?

Kelvin Law
[9:48 pm, 08/04/2020] : I never said enforcement is not important.  But to put queue number for access to supermarkets?

Ben
[9:48 pm, 08/04/2020] : Saves people waiting line and keeps the numbers down.

[9:48 pm, 08/04/2020] : If the supermarket is quiet they would have instant access

Kelvin Law
[9:49 pm, 08/04/2020] : Does it really work?  For our older folks who needs their daily supplies?  Get Q number and wait where?

Ben
[9:49 pm, 08/04/2020] : Im just suggesting a process to avoid queues to get in, queues to check out and busy aisles.

[9:48 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
(1) People can wait and take their time.
(2) Virus won't wait - and we already seeing the steep climb from Mar to April.
(3) We need to be decisive.

Kelvin Law
[9:49 pm, 08/04/2020] : U mean it's not decisive already?

[9:52 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
Many people still don't wear mask even they're issue with one.
Few malls are still max out.

[9:37 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
When I just checked the spaceout, some of the malls crowd is still max.
Clarke quay is the champion - max for 3 consecutive days.

Kelvin Law
[9:45 pm, 08/04/2020] : I am taking it with a pinch of salt.  Considering there's no sit-in dining, why is Clarke Quay crowded?

[9:54 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
Anyone in Clarke quay taking pictures of the crowd level there to prove spaceout is working properly.

[9:44 pm, 08/04/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
My close friend suggestion :-
(1) For people who have to work outside of their home to sustain the essential services please provide them with care packs to show appreciation and keep them safe. We can't afford to let them fall.
* care packs should contain good quality masks, hand sanitisers etc

(2) Outside of healthcare sector, there are lot of people who also have to work extra hard during this period to "keep the lights on"
 They are very tired but still have to carry on. This is the minimum that we can do to protect them