Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife, Ho Ching, has slammed the viral post recounting the experience of an alleged ex-nurse who was recalled to care for quarantined migrant workers as “fake news”.
Last week, a video began circulating online showing crowds of migrant workers mingling together. The video was accompanied by a message from someone who claims to be the friend of an anonymous ex-nurse who allegedly took the video at Singapore EXPO where she was allegedly recalled to care for the quarantined COVID-19 positive migrant workers.
In the message, the “ex-nurse” claimed that the workers are “disgustingly unhygienic” and that “all of them gather together in one room socialising and not in their own individual rooms, to be away from each other.”
She suggested that the workers deliberately mingled together “so they continue to be sick” in the hope that they do not have to go back to work. The “ex-nurse” lamented that she is not paid for helping out three days a week and that she does not even dare to drink water during her shifts to avoid the hassle of removing her protective gear.
The “ex-nurse” further alleged that “the migrant workers all suffer from all sorts of illnesses like diabetes to high blood pressure” and that they are provided with meals designed by dietitians. She added that Singapore is “too kind already” to these workers who allegedly have little regard to the frontline personnel who care for them.
The video and the accompanying message began trending on social media and messaging platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram. The message swiftly drew criticism by netizens who poked holes in the “ex-nurse’s” story.
For one, the video was taken at the Changi Exhibition Centre – not the Singapore EXPO facility like the “ex-nurse” claimed. Additionally, netizens wondered why a former nurse would be recalled to help out at a community care facility for no pay when she had presumably resigned.
Ho Ching, who also serves as chief executive of Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek, has joined the chorus of criticism against those who propagated the message from the “ex-nurse”.
Pointing out that COVID-positive patients are not expected to isolate themselves in a facility with fellow patients since they are all already infected, Mdm Ho questioned whether such an “ex-nurse” even exists, in a social media post published on Monday (18 May).
She wrote on Facebook that “any fake ex-nurse friend who does not know where he or she has been working, is a clear fake character, made up by the chap who sends around a video with provocative views.”
The Prime Minister’s wife added: “The covidiots are really not old folks or gaga folks who refuse to put masks on in public – we really don’t know their private pain or personal angst – they could have allergies to masks, they could have breathing difficulties, they could have mental health issues.
“The real covidiots are those out to deliberately create fake news and fake views to spread uncertainty, unhappiness, and even just downright harmful “cures” or “prevention” methods. There are other covidiots, but that can wait for another day.”
Asserting that Singapore will provide the same standard of care to Singaporean and non-Singaporean COVID-19 patients, Mdm Ho acknowledged that while the personal space restrictions can be discombobulating to some, it could also provide more freedom of space that others may welcome.
She wrote: “Sure, some returning Singaporeans can feel discombobulated – they return home to Sg from overseas and get quarantined into hotels, and when they are tested positive, they get sent to CCF – from their own room with ensuite toilet, to a cubicle using shared toilet –
“But hey! Some folks are actually quite happy that they can move about instead of having to stay strictly in a small hotel room.”
Mdm Ho added that she believes that Singapore’s young are open-minded and will “adjust and adapt quickly, without being blinkered by bigotry.”
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