Not moving foreign workers out of dormitories earlier as part of efforts to curb the coronavirus spread was not just a question of cost, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo yesterday.
Rather, other measures needed to be in place to break the transmission, such as work stoppages, closing of shopping areas, and preventing people from socialising.
This goes “well beyond cost”, she added during a virtual press conference.
Mrs Teo was asked if the potential high costs was why foreign workers were not asked to move out of dormitories earlier, at a time when there were not as many confirmed cases among them to justify doing so.
From restricted entry at some wet markets to the closure of barber shops, Singapore rolled out more measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 on Tuesday (April 21). These measures take effect from Wednesday and will be in place till at least May 4. The circuit breaker period has also been extended to June 1.
ODD-EVEN DAY ENTRY AT 4 MARKETS
Shoppers will be now allowed into four popular wet markets based on the last digit of their NRIC number or Foreign Identification Number (FIN).
Those with an even last digit (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8) will only be allowed entry on even-numbered dates of the month. Those with an odd number digit (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9) can shop on odd-numbered dates.
The four markets are at:
1. Geylang Serai Market
2. 505 Jurong West Street 52
3. 20 and 21 Marsiling Lane
4. 104 and 105 Yishun Ring Road (Chong Pang Market)
Other wet markets, as well as supermarkets, may introduce similar restrictions.
SINGAPORE: I am sitting at my desk in the study, looking out the window where the clouds are gathering steam for a thunderstorm.
I am reminded of all the times I woke up with a headache or a sinus inflammation and wished I could just stay home and get to work without any distractions instead of having to drag my feet and pull in the physical hours at my cubicle.
I know of friends who needed peace and quiet, and decided to just take their own leave to work from home, particularly if they needed to read, write and plan.
But just like that, with the coronavirus outbreak forcing companies to migrate to remote working and here we are, in what feels like an alternate universe.
Despite the majority of the population working from home, the engine is still turning, the sky is seemingly intact. There is no wasted time on the road or in the air, no long drawn meetings, no idle chit chat at the pantry (although I do miss the chit chat).
Our entire work experience this year can be summed up by this popular meme on the internet: “That was a meeting that could have been an email.”
WHAT TOOK US SO LONG?
So the question is: Why were companies so reluctant to push more telecommuting options for their staff? If it were an option, it was reserved for some groups – mostly women with children or those with medical problems.
If it were extended to everyone, it came with a list of caveats. In many workplaces, pre-COVID-19 telecommuting was a special privilege – in my previous workplace, it was always during term break, once a week and fixed.
(Photo: Unsplash/Wes Hicks)
If you had meetings on your telecommuting days, too bad, you came in.
What was behind our general aversion to allowing people to work from home, especially if they found it more productive?
‘FUNDAMENTAL CONSERVATISM’
Howard Yu, MD Business School LEGO Professor of Management and Innovation called it “fundamental conservatism”. Simply put, most bosses believe that when employees are absent, they are not working.
This is the idea that your input (how many hours you were seen to be putting in) had a direct relationship to your output (the work you produced).
In the last episode of Heart of the Matter podcast, Howard talks about working with MNCs who simply couldn’t and didn’t want to make the needed changes so that more of the work can be done away from the office.
A company’s management, their boards and their investors – everyone needed to be convinced with a multitude of business plans and meetings.
“It took a pandemic that no one can oppose any more to move to a new world,’’ he says. These new times are demanding companies to reverse our input and outcome formula he adds. “Don’t tell your employees how you want to achieve something but what you want to achieve.’’
Still, conservative attitudes were only part of the inertia. The other critical component was also the tech infrastructure – IT systems needed to be robust and be able to support people who needed to have secure off-site work spaces.
As we are all beginning to realise, a strong IT department is critically important in any company and investments need to be made for this to be robust. Tech know-how should also be part of everyone’s training and not just left to the hands of the few. This way, everyone can execute basic protocols when it comes to safeguarding work online.
It is true that this “free-wheeling” system does depend heavily on the work ethic of individuals.
By and large, most people do want to put in an honest day’s work and will do what is expected of them. Some, invariably, will take advantage but that shouldn’t detract us from looking at how the benefits may outweigh the negatives.
Using Zoom. (Photo: Unsplash/Tran Mau Tri Tam)
Besides, as Howard points out, it is impossible for bosses to mandate how their staff spend their time in this new digital work environment. The sensible thing to do is to make expectations and communications clear and trust that everyone will do their part.
Our other guest on the podcast, Boston Consulting Group Managing Director and Partner Michael Tan says the most immediate benefit is how much time and money is saved. The biggest outcome for him though is that businesses are forced to become “flatter, more nimble’’.
FINALLY, SOME BALANCE?
In our chats with people who are working from home, most say the biggest benefit is that so much time is freed up by just not having to travel. They can use that time to do things that matter to them and their families.
In my case, I save two full hours a day of travel time. Like so many folk, I have used that time to exercise, cook, clean the house and be an early supermarket shopper. Just not being part of the rush hour crowd on the morning commute must have added much collagen back into my ageing skin.
On the other hand, others complain that they work longer. When there isn’t a separation of work and home it is easy to keep going and before you know it, you’ve been at your dining or study table for 12 hours.
From my social media feed, I can see parents struggle when they have small children to attend to.
So there are no perfect solutions and a lot of it depends on the type of work you do, your role and how much support you have – both in your home and from your employer.
OUR REMARKABLE INGENUITY
There is however something everyone has in common – a deeper and hopefully more significant outcome. For my current work, which involves meeting people, going into the studio and recording, this was not easy.
I was forced to adapt and am learning many interesting things along the way. I would say, that’s the case with teachers, doctors, even insurance agents who have had to find ways to continue working without meeting clients.
I even spotted a virtual emcee who was working from his home! (Much like how people are socializing online, this emcee is the paid host in a virtual party). So our ingenuity can be quite remarkable.
As our guests have rightly said, this massive work from home experiment is really the chance to scale up and transform our work lives in the long run.
To prepare for a post COVID-19 world, companies can start by looking at this gift horse squarely in the mouth to chart a new course that would involve more work being done anywhere – not just in one physical space.
Our health, the environment, our families and yes, especially our work, will be the better for it.
SINGAPORE: The lack of information from some coworking space providers on rental rebates continues to frustrate small business owners, even as the Government implements measures designed to offer relief from some rent obligations amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
The COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Bill passed in Parliament earlier this month mandated property owners to pass on 100 per cent of the rental rebate to their tenants after an outcry by small- and medium-enterprises (SMEs) over deferred or delayed rebates.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced in March’s Resilience Budget that qualifying commercial properties would not have to pay property tax this year, as the Government sought to bolster small businesses hard hit by the COVID-19 economic slowdown.
While property owners are required to pass down rental rebates to tenants, there is no legislation that mandates tenants to pass down their rebates to their subtenants, as there is a “whole range of commercial arrangements” between tenants and subtenants and there is no contractual relationship between property owners and subtenants, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong in Parliament on Apr 7.
“Nevertheless, we strongly urge and encourage all master tenants to pass on the savings from the rebate to their subtenants and to share the burden during this time of uncertainty,” said Mr Wong.
Businesses who lease from coworking spaces fall under this grey area, as they do not officially pay rent. Rather, they are considered members who pay a monthly fee to use the office space.
When the “circuit breaker” was announced on Apr 3, public relations firm Gloo PR founder Oo Gin Lee, who is working out of O2Work in Odeon Towers, asked his centre’s manager to reduce April’s fees. This is because his company would have to work from home. He was told he would be kept posted as O2Work was in talks with their landlord, UOL.
He approached the manager two weeks later only to receive a similar response. He followed up with an e-mail to the manager and O2Work’s chief operating officer but there was still no response.
O2Work is a coworking space located at Odeon Towers. (Facebook/O2Work).
Mr Oo, who is paying S$3,600 a month under a 1-year membership he signed last December, said the coworking company “should be doing their part to be fair to us”. He is looking for fees to be waived as long as the rule to work from home is in place.
“I paid for (the space), on the understanding that I (get to use it). Now, if I can’t, why should I be paying you?,” he said.
When CNA reached out to O2Work for comment, chief operating officer Jenny Liu said that the company was planning to give rental rebates to their members, although the details have not been worked out yet.
The amount of rebate would depend on negotiations with landlord UOL, and O2Work will pass on the rebate to members after receiving their own rebate from UOL.
Lawrence Leong is in a similar predicament with his office provider, Spaces City Hall. He e-mailed the centre’s manager before the circuit breaker started, but there was no word about membership fees.
The executive director of Kingsman Media said he pays about S$3,000 a month for a room that fits five.
He would like a complete membership fee waiver for April, and a 30 per cent monthly rebate from May until the safe distancing measures end, reasoning that the room he uses can only accommodate two people if the 1m rule is in place.
“I will wait till the circuit breaker is over then I’ll meet (the centre manager) face-to-face (to talk about the fees),” Mr Leong said, adding that he had signed a three-year renewal contract last November. Ending it early would cause him to lose his deposit.
CNA has also approached Spaces for comment.
Other coworking spaces that CNA spoke to said that they were looking into offering rebates to their members, with the amount dependent on factors including how long the tenant has leased the space.
JustCo, which has 1,400 members in Singapore, said on Apr 2 that it would offer a “multi-million dollar relief package” with membership rebates of 15 to 30 per cent for the month of May.
This is “even before” JustCo received any rebate from landlords, said the company in a press release, adding that 3,000 companies across JustCo centres in eight cities are expected to benefit from the rebate.
For members, the rebates will vary. Those who have been with JustCo for two years and more will get rebates of 30 per cent for May, while other members will get 15 per cent, and it applies to all JustCo members across the region who joined JustCo before or on Apr 1.
The Working Capitol at Keong Siak Road. (Facebook/The Working Capitol).
Homegrown coworking space The Working Capitol, located at Keong Saik Road, will also offer a range of rental rebates to tenants depending on several factors, including their tenure with companies and their track record on payment.
“Suffice to say, our best and more loyal members are rewarded with rental relief of 30 per cent, while the rest will qualify for 15 per cent,” said a spokesperson.
All members have been compensated on Apr 3 for the one-month April “circuit breaker” measures, the spokesperson added.
“In line with the most recent Government bill, we provide a process for rental deferment application to members who are genuinely in need due to cashflow constraints and also support them through this process,” they said.
In response to CNA’s queries, WeWork, which has 12 spaces across Singapore, declined to comment.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed 1,111 new coronavirus cases in Singapore today (April 21). The vast majority of the cases are foreign workers living in the dormitories.
There are 28 cases in the community involving 20 Singaporeans and Permanent Residents, as well as eight people holding work passes.
There are no imported cases today.
33 work permit holders residing outside dormitories also tested positive for the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, 1,050 cases are foreign workers residing in the dormitories. This is due to the extensive testing being done at these places, the health ministry said. Most of these cases have a mild illness and are being monitored in the community isolation facilities or the general wards of hospitals.
66 per cent of the new cases are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing.
MOH also announced three new clusters — The Jovell construction site, Pesko Engineering Pte Ltd, and 5 Sungei Kadut Avenue.
SINGAPORE: More shops and food and beverage outlets in Singapore will have to suspend operations, after the authorities trimmed a list of essential services as part of stricter measures to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The tighter rules come as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday (Apr 21) announced the extension of the current “circuit breaker” period for another four weeks until Jun 1, to “decisively” bring down the number of coronavirus cases.
From getting a haircut to buying bubble tea – here’s a quick overview of what you can and cannot do under the new rules.
WHERE CAN I GET MY SNACKS?
Specialised food and beverage outlets will have to shut for now, including outlets that “predominantly” sell drinks like bubble tea, fruit juice, smoothies, coffee, soya bean and alcoholic drinks.
Popcorn stores, bak kwa shops, ice cream shops, outlets that mainly sell cakes, cupcakes, cheese and other desserts will have to close too.
This is because the rules state that standalone outlets selling only beverages, packed snacks, confectionery and desserts must close their outlets.
This does not apply to stalls in hawker centres, coffee shops and food courts.
File photo of bubble tea. (Photo: Unsplash / Rosalind Chang)
Specialised food and beverage outlets can sell their products online – only if they come from a licensed central kitchen, manufacturing facility or warehouse of the F&B establishment.
However, manufacturing facilities that produce chocolate, chips, ice cream, sweets and cakes will have to shut.
These measures on food and retail outlets will take effect from Wednesday and continue until at least May 4.
F&B outlets that sell meals, cooked snacks and bread, as well as hawker centres, food courts and coffee shops will be allowed to continue delivery and takeaway services.
CAN I STILL GO TO SUPERMARKETS AND MALLS?
Yes, you can. However, malls and supermarkets have now been told to conduct temperature screening at their entrances to detect customers with a fever.
Those with high traffic – such as NEX, AMK Hub, Great World City and Tampines Mall – should also conduct contact tracing. You’ll be required to provide your personal particulars for this purpose.
Safe distancing measures at NTUC FairPrice PLQ Mall, Mar 22, 2020. (Photo: Chew Hui Min)
You should wear a mask when leaving the house, as previously announced. In addition, only one person per household should be away from home at any one time, the Prime Minister said when he addressed the nation on Tuesday.
Supermarkets are also encouraged to remind customers to limit entry to one person per family, where possible.
WHAT IF I NEED A HAIRCUT? OR ITEMS FOR MY PET?
You might have to resign yourself to growing your hair out this circuit breaker period (or DIY it), as hairdressers and barbers will have to close their outlets.
Stores selling pet food and supplies will have to close their retail outlets too, but online retail of pet supplies will still be allowed.
File photo: Unsplash/Bharathi Kannan
I NEED NEW GLASSES – CAN I GO TO THE OPTICIAN?
Yes, but book in advance. Optician shops which sell contact lenses, prescription glasses and provide optometry services will only operate by appointment only, meaning that they will not be allowed to take walk-in customers.
As for other personal care activities, pharmacies and their related personal care item stores will still be allowed to open.
Traditional Chinese medicine stores with in-house practitioners registered with the Health Ministry can remain open for consultation and to dispense medicine, but walk-in retail is not allowed.
Yes, but the authorities advise you to do this by yourself, and near home.
“If you need to go out – buy food, buy groceries – go out alone. Do not turn this into an occasion for a family outing,” said Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong at a press conference on Tuesday.
“If you need to go out and exercise, exercise alone and in your own neighbourhood. Do not travel out to exercise.”
A person jogging by the water at a reservoir in Singapore. (File photo: Jeremy Long)
If you’re heading to a park or nature reserve, remember to take what you need with you – F&B outlets and convenience stores will be closed in gardens, parks and nature reserves (although hawker centres in parks can remain open). In addition, all car parks at these locations will be closed.
Sport Singapore’s advice is for people to exercise at home. If they want to head out to exercise, they should head home immediately after they are done.
In urging people to stay home, and to head out only for essential trips – alone as far as possible – the Health Ministry said: “We want to minimise the number of people out and about, to reduce the chances of community transmission.
“We understand that some members of the public will need to be accompanied by a caregiver, for example, frail seniors, the disabled, and young children. We encourage everyone to adhere to the spirit of the guidelines to minimise movement, and complete their tasks and return to their homes quickly.”
The Government has a full list of what’s considered essential services online.
SINGAPORE – Shoppers heading out to buy groceries at four popular wet markets will only be able to do so on alternate days depending on the last digit of their identity card or foreign identification card number from Wednesday (April 22), as part of measures to further limit crowds.
These four wet markets are Geylang Serai Market, Chong Pang Market at Block 104/105 Yishun Ring Road, and the markets at Block 20/21 Marsiling Lane and Block 505 Jurong West Street 52.
Those with an even last digit on their cards can visit these markets only on the even dates of the month, while those with an odd last digit can visit these markets only on the odd dates of the month, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a statement.
Persons who need assistance, such as the elderly and those with disabilities, can be accompanied by one family member or domestic helper, but one of their identification numbers must still meet the odd or even date entry restriction, NEA added, saying the elderly are still encouraged not to visit markets at peak hours.
SINGAPORE – The mid-year school holidays will start earlier from May 5 to cover the entire extended circuit breaker until June 1, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Tuesday (April 21).
“By 1 Jun 2020, hopefully the situation will be much better, and we can look forward to a safe and orderly opening of schools,” he said in a Facebook post.
“This would mean that Term 3 will be very long. So we will factor in an additional one week, mid-term break from 20-26 July. Term 3 will comprise 7 weeks, one week break and then 6 weeks. Most teachers will use the break to review or re-plan their lessons,” he added.
The additional break of one week will reduce curriculum teaching time, he said. As it is, the pace of home-based learning tends to be slower than classroom teaching, he noted.
“We will therefore also make certain topics commonly taught by all schools at the end of the academic year be non-examinable. Some of these topics are pie charts and volume for PSLE Maths, Organic chemistry and vectors for O level Chemistry and Maths respectively.”
SINGAPORE: The June school holidays will be brought forward to May 5 in light of the extension of the “circuit breaker” period to Jun 1, announced the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Tuesday (Apr 21).
This will apply to all MOE kindergartens, primary, secondary and pre-university students, including students from special education schools.
“While HBL (home-based learning) has been going well, it has been an intense period of hard work and adjustment for parents, students and teachers,” said the ministry in a press release.
“An early June holiday will give everyone a respite. It also buys us time for a less restrictive school opening in June.”
Lessons will resume on Jun 2, and more details on the format of these lessons – whether they will be physical classes or partial or full home-based learning – will be released at a later date.
These changes mean that Term 3 will be longer, but a one-week mid-term break will be instituted between Jul 20 and 26. The third school term will end on Sep 6.
The GCE-Level mid-year Mother Tongue Language written examinations will also be rescheduled from Jun 1 and 2 to Jun 18 and 19, announced the Education Ministry and the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB).
Taking into consideration the mid-term break in July, the listening comprehension examinations for O- and A-Level Mother Tongue Language and Mother Tongue Language B will be rescheduled from Jul 21 and 22 to Jul 27.
“SEAB will work with schools to put in place precautionary measures to protect the safety and well-being of students and examination personnel,” it said in the media release.
Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung said in a post on Facebook that home-based learning “hasn’t been easy” with a steep learning curve.
“I thank everyone for your hard work, perseverance, patience and positivity. But it is better not to extend the HBL. HBL is a fall back when schools are suspended; it cannot be a prolonged substitute for school. It is better to let everyone have a break from this intense period,” he wrote.
The additional mid-term break will also reduce curriculum teaching time, said Mr Ong.
Certain topics commonly taught by all schools at the end of the academic year will not be included in examinations, he added.
“This will reduce the curriculum load and ease the pressure off teachers and students in catching up with the curriculum. Just to be clear, as far as possible, these topics will still be taught. But they will not appear as questions in the national examinations.”
For graduating cohorts who need support preparing for national examinations, schools may have students come back to school for face-to-face coaching “when the national situation improves”.
Between May 5 and Jun 1, polytechnic students will continue with full home-based learning, said the Education Ministry. Students from the Institute of Technical Education will continue with full home-based learning until May 8, and will be on vacation between May 9 and Jun 1.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday said Singapore will extend its COVID-19 circuit breaker period by four weeks to Jun 1.
In a televised address to the nation, Mr Lee said Singapore will also implement tighter measures such as closing more workplaces and imposing entry restrictions on “hotspots” such as popular wet markets.
Mr Lee also stressed that Singapore should go out only for essential needs, like buying food or necessities.
On how Singapore can exit from the circuit breaker, Mr Lee stressed that the country needs to take things one step at a time – first by opening up incrementally, in small steps, to make sure that people are safe.
