Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Singapore Changes Tack, Nears Lockdown in Coronavirus Fight
Variety ^ | April 3, 2020 2:55am PT | Variety

Posted on 04/04/2020 12:12:42 PM PDT by Zhang Fei

Singapore has announced a change of direction in its fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus. Schools will close and all but essential workplaces are ordered shut from next Tuesday.

The high-tech island nation was one of the first outside China to discover virus infections. It had until recently been seen as a leading example of controlled and panic-free response to the pandemic. But in recent days the number of infections has leaped.

In a TV address, Friday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that “food establishments, markets and supermarkets, clinics, hospitals, utilities, transport and key banking services will remain open. But most other work premises must close. If the person can work from home, he should do so.”

Schools and colleges must operate with full distance learning from Wednesday, after a one-day a week policy had gone smoothly. Pre-school facilities will be fully closed.

“This circuit breaker will apply for one month, in the first instance,” said Lee.

Lee said that new social distancing rules should mean that people do not mix with others from outside their family from now on. And he said that Singapore had rethought its face mask policy, which previously took the line that masks were only necessary if a person was unwell.

Lee explained the change of tack, which he called a major move,” on a partial loss of control: “We used to see fewer than 10 new cases a day. But in the last two weeks, despite our best efforts, we have routinely had more than 50 new cases daily. Initially, many of the new cases were imported from overseas, mostly returning Singaporeans. Then last week, we began to have more local cases.

“Furthermore, despite our good contact tracing, for nearly half of these cases, we do not know where or from

(Excerpt) Read more at variety.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ccpvirus; china; coronavirus; covid19; france; herdimmunity; italy; kag; lockdown; maga; pandemic; sarscov2; singapore; spain; trump; uk
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041 next last
Singapore has apparently decided on a full month lockdown. Masks and social distancing apparently haven't done the trick.
1 posted on 04/04/2020 12:12:42 PM PDT by Zhang Fei
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

The high-tech island nation was one of the first outside China to discover virus infections. It had until recently been seen as a leading example of controlled and panic-free response to the pandemic.

...

That’s true. How is Taiwan doing?


2 posted on 04/04/2020 12:15:42 PM PDT by Moonman62 (http://www.freerepublic.com/~moonman62/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

Its simply getting to the point that a suitable treatment regimen needs to be established along with a vital need for a vaccine. This is the only thing that will get things on the way to normal again.


3 posted on 04/04/2020 12:16:14 PM PDT by headstamp 2 (There's a stairway to heaven, but there's also a highway to hell.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

Singapore has apparently decided on a full month lockdown.

...

In a way, this validates what we’re doing here in the USA.


4 posted on 04/04/2020 12:17:32 PM PDT by Moonman62 (http://www.freerepublic.com/~moonman62/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All

Variety?


5 posted on 04/04/2020 12:26:29 PM PDT by gibsonguy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

People will probably adhere to the measures to avoid getting caned.


6 posted on 04/04/2020 12:29:06 PM PDT by plain talk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

To read with care.


7 posted on 04/04/2020 12:35:00 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is. Yogi Berra)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: gibsonguy

[Variety?]


COVID-19 is the new studio boss - its mere presence, or lack thereof, has the power to shut down or open up productions.


8 posted on 04/04/2020 12:35:07 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

I wish the media would stop using the terms “lockdown” or “shelter-in-place.” California now uses “stay-at-home,” which while still not perfect, at least gets closer to the intent and reality.


9 posted on 04/04/2020 12:39:22 PM PDT by norcal joe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: plain talk

[People will probably adhere to the measures to avoid getting caned.]


Masochists, on the other hand ...


10 posted on 04/04/2020 12:47:31 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei
Masks and social distancing apparently haven't done the trick.

Singapore doesn't amount to a lot of land mass. It's pretty tightly packed. It's also a real melting pot.

11 posted on 04/04/2020 1:00:56 PM PDT by voicereason (The RNC is like the "one-night stand" you wish you could forget.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: voicereason

[Singapore doesn’t amount to a lot of land mass. It’s pretty tightly packed. It’s also a real melting pot. ]


All retail establishments and offices are pretty tightly packed, at least compared to Walmart’s new guideline of 4 customers per 1000 sq ft.


12 posted on 04/04/2020 1:06:26 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

Look, the only strategy is getting the virus. That is the solution and the problem. The difference is how we get it. Germany has it right. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China have it wrong. The only salvation is herd immunity. Its the only thing that will work. The vaccine will be too late. The drugs will lesson the deaths a bit.

Germany does not think that they can stop it. Straight away they got 4 cases and handled that perfectly. But then the inevitable occurred. The Chinese, Italians, and Iranians showed up. Or people with contacts to those people showed up. Nothing you can do when the rest of the world catches the virus. There is no amount of social distancing that will work. So Merkel made it clear, 70% of Germans will get the virus. And the first thing they did is to quarantine the people at risk. Not the people who had the virus. Not the whole population. They quarantined the people at most risk.

Here is why that is so smart. 20% of 80 year olds will need doctors care. Less than 1% of people under 30 will need doctors care. So there is no reason not to let the younger people develop their immunity. Once they get it, they will not be able to spread it. And they will not clog the hospitals as they get the virus. The at risk people clog the hospitals. So they were sent to their homes.

Germany seems to have gotten the same number of cases as Spain or Italy. But their death rate is the lowest in the world. Thats because their potential corpses are hiding in their homes. And while the Asian lock down artists are battling the inevitable second and third waves of the virus. Germany will have firmly established its herd immunity. The virus will keep running into immune people who can neither get the virus nor spread it.

Two things governments forget. They don’t control the rest of the world. And they have to come out of their homes sometime. If you believe those two things, you know you cannot hide from the virus. You have to face it.


13 posted on 04/04/2020 1:19:44 PM PDT by poinq
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: poinq

[The only salvation is herd immunity. ]


True in the long run. In short run, however ICU’s will be overwhelmed, and elections will be lost. Hence, the lockdowns.


14 posted on 04/04/2020 1:24:23 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: poinq

Makes sense.


15 posted on 04/04/2020 1:32:25 PM PDT by Freee-dame
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

I think the point was that ICU’s aren’t being overrun by the young and healthy. The young should be out and about AND exposing themselves to the virus. Once they have developed anti-bodies, they can be in contact with the most effected groups with no consequences.

It’s only the immune compromised that should be sheltering in place. I agree with this.


16 posted on 04/04/2020 1:38:22 PM PDT by Varda
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

Won’t get back to normal until there is a safe and effective vaccine. Even if hydroxychloroquine/Zithromax is effective, it won’t in itself stop the pandemic. Also a good serology test to confirm prior infection and immunity would be useful. Also a PCR test to measure viral activity would help. Otherwise the approach of isolation and social distancing is essentially no different than the approach taken in medieval times to deal with a pandemic.


17 posted on 04/04/2020 1:52:35 PM PDT by allendale (.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: poinq

I rather get a tiny bit of it than a screaming mouth-full.

That way my body can fight it off faster and easier.


18 posted on 04/04/2020 1:55:12 PM PDT by VanDeKoik
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: poinq; wastoute; BobL; chris37

This is a response you should read about handling the virus.


19 posted on 04/04/2020 1:55:45 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: allendale

Things could get back to normal with a combination of widespread reliable testing and a drug cocktail that will alleviate the symptoms for most people..... Seems to me that testing is the main problem right now


20 posted on 04/04/2020 2:00:16 PM PDT by The Fop (God Bless Donald Trump, Frank Sinatra, Joan Rivers, and the Fightin' Rat Pack Wing of the GOP)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson