Jamus Lim Keeps Mask On During Anchorvale Visits ‘out Of Respect For The Different Risk Tolerance Of Our Residents’

As of last Tuesday (Mar 29), Singaporeans are no longer required to wear masks outdoors and in spaces with natural ventilation, but not everyone has made the switch to masklessness quite yet. Some have even expressed the intent and desire to keep on masking, at least for now.

One person keeping his mask on for the moment is Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC), who said in a Friday (Apr 1) Facebook post that he is choosing to do so during house visits “out of respect for the different risk tolerance of our residents.”

Assoc Prof Lim, like other MPs, often converses with residents in the corridors of the buildings where they live, and technically, because a corridor is an example of a naturally-ventilated space, people may opt to go maskless.

But some individuals may still be wary of infection risks, are immunocompromised and therefore are more vulnerable to infection, or simply need time to get unused to being out in public without a mask, and therefore still choose to wear them.

The Assoc Prof wrote, “Since last Tuesday, we were also allowed to go maskless in naturally-ventilated spaces (of which corridors are an example). I’m on the record that the evidence suggests that transmission risks in such instances are extremely low. Nevertheless, since not everyone is comfortable without the mask quite yet. So out of respect for the different risk tolerance of our residents, I have chosen to retain the mask during house visits.”

The Sengkang MP also wrote that his visit to 14D Anchorvale, his ward, this week was “filled with warmer conversations.”

“Many expressed a newfound optimism, in part due to the streamlining and relaxation measures that came into force earlier this week. In mild celebration of the newfound freedom, we even managed to hand out a useful gift: mask holders! It was wonderful to connect with the Queks, Guans, Rais, and others.”

He added a list of how the relaxed measures are taking place at Sengkang, including “Social distancing tapes in common areas should have come off. Basketball courts will reopen, and the futsal court at Harvest is receiving its final touches in preparation for opening, and another (at 324) is scheduled to commence construction soon.”

Assoc Prof Lim added that this year’s SG Clean Day on Apr 24 will be bigger than in the past and that more in-person community events are in the pipeline “once the green light is given for larger purely social gatherings to take place.”

/TISG

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