Covid-19: Lim Tean urges for 3-week virtual lockdown due to increase in confirmed cases

Singapore – Opposition party leader, Lim Tean, called for a virtual lockdown to last at least three weeks given the “truly shocking” increase in Covid-19 numbers.

The leader of People’s Voice party took to Facebook on Thursday (April 2), to emphasise the need for a virtual lockdown with minimal movement to limit the widespread transmission of the virus. Singapore has 1,049 confirmed cases to date and four reported deaths. “Out of the 49 new cases reported today, 41 were local cases,” noted Mr Lim and added that the transmission is no longer limited.

According to the Ministry of Health, three new clusters have been established, Mustafa Centre, a construction site at Maxwell MRT station and Keppel Shipyard. Imagine the number of people who came into close proximity or contact with those infected while at Mustafa, said Mr Lim.

“We won’t be telling Singaporeans that there is limited transmission of the disease when schoolchildren are starting to get infected, when a bus driver, employees in HDB branches etc. have been infected,” said Mr Lim.

He reminded everyone in his post the dangers asymptomatic carriers pose to others in transmitting the virus and concluded that the “baby steps” and series of “brakes” being applied could no longer be continued as attempts to flatten the curve are failing.

“We need to go into a virtual lockdown for at least three weeks with minimal movement allowed for people to go out to buy food and carry out essential activities,” he suggested. The party leader has been quite vocal on school closures and reiterated the need for such actions once more in his post.

Mr Lim is confident that the immediate implementation of a three-week virtual lockdown would flatten the curve “significantly” and “everyone in this nation would be feeling much more relieved.”

Members of the online community wondered what it would take for the Government to  impose a lockdown to contain the pandemic.

Netizens responded with a few more suggestions such as the strict closure of all “unimportant shops and bars” and making masks compulsory. Keef Ong wrote a lengthy comment on how he would deal with the crisis.

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