Singapore — Health Minister Ong Ye Kung seems to be the man of the hour, as all eyes are on him because of the sudden spike in Covid-19 cases.
On Friday (Sept 24) Singapore saw its largest number of new cases to date, with 1,504 people testing positive for Covid.
While he has been quoted as having called the surge in infections a “rite of passage” on the road to normalcy and warned that the journey to reopening would be “uncertain and full of twists and turns,” the mood in Singapore has got somewhat tense, with Mr Ong taking some of the heat for the uptick.
A petition has even circulated online calling for his resignation.
However, in an interview with Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao published on Sept 22, Mr Ong remained his usual unflappable and calm self.
When a senior citizen asked if Singapore should be placed under another Circuit Breaker period of restrictions, he said this would be the “last resort,” adding that authorities are keeping a watchful eye on the situation.
Two factors, however, will determine if a CB should be implemented or not.
“The first, is the number of cases of serious illness, and whether our ICUs have sufficient capacity to cope.
Secondly, whether we have sufficient beds for all those who have been infected with Covid-19 and wish to go to a hospital or to a Community Care Facility (CCF),” the Health Minister said.
If the number of serious infections stays low, and ICUs are able to cope, things will stay as they are.
Otherwise, there will be a need for more stringent measures.
When another person asked if “mini-restrictions” would be necessary to keep the number of infections down, he said that the virus should not be feared, which would lead to lockdowns, as the aim is to co-exist with it.
A balance between carefulness and lifting all the restrictions at once should be found, he added.
Another question posed to him concerned public transport, specifically about why so many are allowed on public transport vehicles.
Mr Ong said that not enough evidence has been shown concerning the spread of Covid-19 on public transport, and he pointed out that buses and trains are very well-ventilated.
However, he underlined that wearing a mask and not talking on public transport is still needed to ensure everyone’s safety. /TISG