PAP MP Foo Mee Har’s face shield drive sparks controversy

People’s Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament (MP) for West Coast GRC Foo Mee Har recently participated in a face shield distribution initiative for market stall holders, which  sparked quite the controversy among netizens as many found an issue with encouraging hawkers to don a face shield without a face mask. Some argued that it is useless in preventing the spread of Covid-19.

Ms Foo on Saturday (May 23) partnered with the Teban Market Merchant Association to hand out face shields to hawkers in the area. Collecting feedback from around the market, she shared, “Many…feel this is far more comfortable to work in as compared to face masks. Besides a more breathable option, some feel that this is actually safer as they will need to touch their face less often to adjust their mask as they work hard at the stall.”

Aside from this, Ms Foo also shared that after receiving inquiries regarding the safety measures which require food handlers to wear personal protective gear, she cited the advisory of the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). “I referred them to (SFA’s) advisory, which indicates that food handlers and F&B employees can wear disposable or reusable masks or a face shield, when they operate at their premises,” she wrote.

A handful of netizens, however, had an issue with this, as many found donning a face shield without a face mask ineffective at preventing the spread of droplets potentially carrying the Covid-19 virus. “It totally defeats the purpose of minimizing the spread of the virus,” wrote one Facebook user.

“Wear (a) face shield, no need to wear (a) face mask–what logic is this?” wrote another.

Others, however, wondered if Ms Foo was breaking Circuit Breaker measures by participating in this “non-essential activity.”

Photo: screengrab from Facebook comments / Foo Mee Har