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Hazel Poa on Singapore’s COVID-19 response

07:34 Min

The White Paper has laid out a “self-appraisal” of the handling of the pandemic but there are areas that have not been addressed sufficiently, said NCMP Hazel Poa. Speaking in Parliament on Monday (Mar 20), she wanted to know if the S$72.3 billion in COVID-19 packages was well spent. She pointed out that what is missing is an assessment of whether each of the different measures was a good use of funds. She also raised the issue of inclusivity, saying a significant segment of the population was sceptical about vaccinations. In the interest of inclusivity and unity, the choices and decisions made by individuals should be respected, she said. Ms Poa also said some of the vaccination-differentiated measures were "too harsh and disproportionate", particularly the ban on the unvaccinated who wanted to go back to their workplaces, even if they tested negative. She urged the Government to look into the circumstances of those who had lost their jobs due to their unvaccinated status, and suggested employment assistance and financial compensation. Ms Poa said efforts to engage the public on the response to the pandemic would have benefited from a “more visible involvement” of medical experts instead of a panel comprising “mostly politicians”.

The White Paper has laid out a “self-appraisal” of the handling of the pandemic but there are areas that have not been addressed sufficiently, said NCMP Hazel Poa. Speaking in Parliament on Monday (Mar 20), she wanted to know if the S$72.3 billion in COVID-19 packages was well spent. She pointed out that what is missing is an assessment of whether each of the different measures was a good use of funds. She also raised the issue of inclusivity, saying a significant segment of the population was sceptical about vaccinations. In the interest of inclusivity and unity, the choices and decisions made by individuals should be respected, she said. Ms Poa also said some of the vaccination-differentiated measures were "too harsh and disproportionate", particularly the ban on the unvaccinated who wanted to go back to their workplaces, even if they tested negative. She urged the Government to look into the circumstances of those who had lost their jobs due to their unvaccinated status, and suggested employment assistance and financial compensation. Ms Poa said efforts to engage the public on the response to the pandemic would have benefited from a “more visible involvement” of medical experts instead of a panel comprising “mostly politicians”.

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