Secretary-general of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Dr Tan Cheng Bock urged Singaporeans to stay calm, take care of one another and to be considerate, in a message on social media.
In a Facebook post on Sunday (Feb 9), the retired general practitioner said that it was because Singapore took what she learnt during the 2003 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak that our country was able to apply “these lessons to counter subsequent threats such as the swine flu and the H1N1 bird flu”.
“What we can do may not seem much compared to our courageous health workers. But if everyone chips in, it will send a signal that we stand with them. To do so, we also need to be brave in the way we react” Dr Tan added.
Calling for Singaporeans to stay calm, Dr Tan said: “It takes courage not to panic”. He advised for people not to forward rumours on social media, panic buy groceries or blame others.
Secondly, he wrote: “Take good care of your personal health and hygiene. If we stay healthy, we will help free up the medical profession to treat those who really need medical care and attention”
“The 3rd thing we can do is to Be Considerate. Think of the well-being of others. Look out for the interest of our senior citizens and young children. Stay home if you are unwell. Wear a mask if you have a cold or are coughing. Your cough may be harmless but you will ease the worry of others when you wear a mask”, Dr Tan advised.
Concluding his post, Dr Tan urged once more, “Let’s do this together with our frontline heroes. Don’t leave this fight to them. This virus is everyone’s problem, and together, with God’s grace, we shall overcome”. /TISG