More than 500 quarantined due to coronavirus, ugly behaviour towards them ‘irresponsible’: Lawrence Wong
National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said of those who stigmatise people under quarantine that "in such difficult times, we should not let our fears overwhelm us and cause us to overreact".
SINGAPORE — There are 524 people under quarantine as of Sunday (Feb 2) night, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong revealed in Parliament on Monday, as he went on to criticise some Singaporeans’ behaviour against those under quarantine.
Out of the 524 people, 302 are being quarantined at home and 222 are at government facilities.
The decision to place them at home or in a quarantine facility are done on a case-by-case basis, Mr Wong said in a ministerial statement on the Government's response to the novel coronavirus outbreak which originated from Wuhan in China.
Those under quarantine are required to stay in the designated location at all times during the quarantine period and are not allowed to physically interact with others.
Mr Wong, who co-chairs the government taskforce to tackle the novel coronavirus situation with Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, said that there have been some residents from the same apartment block who had asked that the quarantined person, as well as those who are subject to a mandatory 14-day leave of absence (LOA) period after returning from China, be moved elsewhere.
“We’ve also heard feedback of landlords stigmatising tenants based on their nationality, or worse, evicting PRC (People’s Republic of China) tenants who are taking their LOA.”
He had harsh words against these examples, condemning them as “irresponsible” actions which could stymie the Government's efforts to combat the virus, which has so far infected 18 people here.
A total of 240 suspect cases have tested negative, while another 43 are still awaiting test results.
“I can appreciate that (Singaporeans) are very concerned about their well-being for themselves and their family members, but if landlords start turning tenants away, then our overall containment efforts will be much harder and we end up endangering ourselves and others,” Mr Wong said.
“The outcome will be completely counterproductive, so we should not condone such irresponsible actions that will put Singapore and Singaporeans at greater risk.
“In such difficult times, we should not let our fears overwhelm us and cause us to overreact. Instead, let us support each other and look out for one another so that we can all get through this together.”
Later, Ms Denise Phua, Member of Parliament (MP) for Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency (GRC), asked Mr Wong to reassure Singaporeans that should more quarantine facilities be activated if the situation escalates in Singapore, residents living near these facilities need not fear a possible spread.
In response, Mr Wong reminded the House that those who are quarantined or given LOAs are not definitely infected with the virus. They are quarantined because they had been exposed to situations that put them at higher risk of being infected, and “we want them to be quarantined to be safe”, he said.
He dispelled the fear that a person under quarantine who was later found to be infected may somehow have wandered around the estate and spread the virus, pointing out that measures are in place to prevent this.
For example, those quarantined have to report their health status three times a day, and spot-checks are conducted for those under home quarantine, with severe penalties for not complying with the order, including fines and jail.
“Whenever there is a confirmed case, there is a thorough cleaning and disinfection process and the National Environment Agency supervises that. With all these measures in place, we should continue to reassure Singaporeans not to be fearful (of quarantine facilities).
“This is critical — if the situation were to escalate, we have to be prepared for more cases. If that were to happen, we do need quarantine facilities,” he said in reply to Ms Phua.
In a joint statement on Monday night, the Ministry of National Development, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Manpower said that those placed on home quarantine orders or LOA are well, and that these are simply precautionary measures to protect Singaporeans from the spread of the novel coronavirus.
It added that the Government has received feedback of landlords evicting tenants who are placed on LOA or quarantine when there is no need to.
"Guidelines are available for landlords to adopt should they have a tenant who is on home quarantine or LOA. Landlords found to have irresponsibly evicted their residents may face restrictions and even be barred from renting out their flats to foreign work pass holders in future."
‘UGLY BEHAVIOUR’ A MINORITY
In his Parliamentary speech, Mr Wong stressed the importance of Singaporeans staying united in their fight against the virus, because “fear is sometimes as great a threat to us as the disease itself” and Singapore must not be paralysed by this fear.
“But I’m glad all of these ugly behaviours are not representative of the vast majority of Singaporeans. There are many more who are quietly helping our fellow citizens in their own ways,” Mr Wong said, highlighting some of these efforts.
During the mask distribution exercise over the weekend, he lauded residents who did not collect their masks because they did not need them, and had instead asked for their allotment of four masks to be given to those in greater need.
Later, Nee Soon GRC MP Lim Wee Kiak also noted instances of wheelchair-bound residents coming forward to help out as well, adding that there are many such examples showing the “best of humanity”.
Mr Wong thanked the pilots and crew of Scoot flight TR121, who had volunteered to fly back the 92 Singaporeans from Wuhan, China despite the risks to themselves. Two Ministry of Foreign Affairs officers volunteered to go along on the flight, too.
He said that he was touched by how, at the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University, students stepped up to support those with LOAs, such as by delivering food thrice daily to them and assembling welfare packs filled with snacks and breakfast items.
“At NUS, students are even organising a 24-hour e-gaming tournament to keep those on LOA occupied.”
This was a 10-day social e-gaming event from Feb 5 by the NUS E-Gaming Society, as stated in an internal memo at the university. It will be entirely conducted online and will connect LOA students with the rest of the student community. “All they need is their laptops and good Wi-Fi,” the memo read.
Mr Wong said: “This is the Singapore spirit which will allow us to prevail over this challenging situation. At this point, no one can tell for sure how the situation will develop, or how long this will last.
“But I am confident that we will succeed in this fight, if we stand united — as an effective Government, a cohesive people, and a resolute nation. Mr Speaker, we can and will overcome this challenge together.”
