Malaysia’s lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak in March saw many displaced workers in Singapore, most of whom had been crossing the Causeway daily to get to work.
Facebook user Alvin Koh and his colleague had called for a private hire vehicle on April 11 when they met a Trans-cab taxi driver.
Upon boarding the taxi, the cabby began telling them his story — he had been sleeping in the car since the lockdown, alleging that his company had done little to help him.
PHOTO: Facebook/Alvin Aragon Koh
“His taxi company is not doing anything for his accommodations or whatsoever other than waiving off the taxi rent for a month,” Koh wrote.
Life in Singapore will not “revert to normal” when the circuit breaker period ends on May 4, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said yesterday.
If necessary, it would be extended, he told reporters at a virtual press conference.
But even if such a move is not needed, Singaporeans will not see a situation where all the significantly stricter measures are lifted at once and “everyone (can do) what they like”, he said.
Some measures may be tightened, and others loosened or fine-tuned, added Mr Gan, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force fighting the Covid-19 outbreak.
Even if the measures were relaxed, they would be done as part of a gradual process that would extend beyond the circuit breaker period, he added.
The minister stressed that the pace of change will depend on the Government’s risk assessment of the virus threat at the particular point in time.
SINGAPORE – A woman has been sentenced to 13 weeks’ jail for assaulting her neighbour who died after he fell and hit his head on the floor.
Leo Mona, 57, was originally scheduled to appear in a district court on Wednesday (April 15).
Her case was brought forward and she was instead sentenced last Thursday.
In February, District Judge Mathew Joseph convicted Leo of assaulting Mr Ho Wee Khuan, 48, in a common area of a block of flats in Holland Close.
The judge also found Leo guilty of attempting to intentionally obstruct the course of justice.
During the nine-day trial, a witness, Madam Sarada Appi Narayanan, testified that she had gone to her son’s flat on Aug 10, 2017 to help him with household chores.
SINGAPORE: StarHub experienced issues with its Internet service on Wednesday (Apr 15), as frustrated customers took to social media to complain of an outage.
The disruption began at about 11am, according to social media posts on Twitter and StarHub’s Facebook page.
@StarHub Why was my home broadband service down for a good 20 minutes between 11:00 and 11:25 am today ? I see many users have reported the same issue. I restarted my modem and router. It did not work for 10 minutes after restarting and then suddenly resumed. Provide root cause. pic.twitter.com/vwS61okYa7
Everyone needs to wear a mask when they leave their place of residence, with very few exceptions.
A woman wearing a mask is seen walking at Orchard Road, Singapore on Feb 3. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
(Updated: )
Bookmark
SINGAPORE: Anyone caught not wearing a mask when they leave their residence from Wednesday (Apr 15) faces a fine of S$300 for the first offence and S$1,000 if they do it again.
On Tuesday, the multi-ministry task force tackling the spread of COVID-19 in Singapore announced it will now be mandatory for everyone to wear a mask when they leave their residence.
The new regulation was added to the Government Gazette at 4am on Wednesday (Apr 15) as part of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.
According to the notice by the Ministry of Health (MOH), there are only a few scenarios where members of the public do not have to use a mask.
All individuals aged two and above must wear a mask over their nose and mouth when they leave their residence, the notice reads. Anyone escorting children will be responsible for ensuring the child wears a mask, if they are two years old and older.
A person engaging in strenuous exercise, such as running or jogging, can remove their mask temporarily but must put it back once the activity is over. Walking is not considered a strenuous activity.
Anyone travelling in a car or van alone does not have to wear a mask. If the driver and passengers live in the same household, they do not have to use a mask when in they are in the vehicle.
According to the law, people who are “carrying out, in the course of employment, an activity that requires that no mask may be worn, or that it must be removed in order that other equiment may be used or worn” do not have to wear a mask when outdoors, such as if they are diving or welding.
Individuals who are “legally directed” to remove their mask for identification purposes can also do so, said the notice.
Children below the age of two will not need to wear a mask based on medical experts’ recommendations on child safety, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said on Tuesday.
Mr Wong, who co-chairs the the task force with Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, noted that the Government had updated its advisory on masks based on the “latest medical and scientific advice”, and that the exercise to distribute reusable masks to Singapore residents was completed over the weekend.
“Please do not use this mask-wearing requirement now to say ‘okay, I can go out’,” he added.
“You should not go out as much as possible. Just stay at home. Do all the right things – practice good hand hygiene and stay at home as much as possible.”
“But in the rare occasion that you do need to go out for purchase of your groceries or purchase of essentials, then it’s only at that time that you wear a mask.”
SINGAPORE: It was the second time in a row that Andy Teo’s tutee had cancelled on him. “Hope the (virus) situation gets better,” a text message from the student’s parent read.
This – and another student cancelling lessons for two weeks due to a stay-home notice – got Andy thinking about how he could best teach online.
On Apr 3, it was announced that schools would move to full home-based learning (HBL) for a month. and this had Andy worrying further. What about other students who, like his tutees, struggled to keep up in class? Could it be even harder for them now?
How could he make himself available to those in need?
Then an idea struck: What if he rallied fellow tutors to volunteer their time for free?
(Photo: Pixabay)
TEMPORARY ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE
Andy’s idea was simple: Tutors, in any subject from the primary to tertiary school level, would first register via a Google form. They could indicate how much time they wanted to offer – even if it were just 30 minutes.
Students who needed help would be able to browse the list of registered tutors, and contact their desired ones by email. The tutor would decide how to conduct the lesson remotely, be it using video conferencing tools like Zoom or text messaging.
The Temporary Academic Assistance (TAA) initiative is meant to be a resource platform that runs itself, explained Andy, 25, a final-year business and accounting student at Nanyang Technological University.
“For example, if the student were struggling with algebra on a particular day and could not get to their teacher, they could find help here,” Andy said, noting that teachers might be swamped with preparing HBL materials every day.
I just hope the community of tutors with time to spare can fill this gap.
It took him barely a day to swing into action. On Apr 4, he began putting out a call for tutors on his social media pages, and friends helped to spread the word.
A call put out to volunteers, students and parents to tap on TAA. (Photo: Andy Teo)
Every day, 10 to 20 people signed up. In just over a week, 250 volunteers were ready to serve.
“The generosity of the volunteers really touched me. I thought, if I could reach 50 tutors, that was more than enough,” Andy said.
What was also surprising was the wide range of volunteers, Andy said. Some had no tutoring experience but offered to help in wherever their strengths lay. So, besides the usual math, science and language subjects, there were those who could teach art, design and technology, music, and the humanities.
For students in polytechnic, ITE or university, there was help available in engineering, computer science and mass communication. One volunteer even specialised in teaching primary school children with autism.
Upon registration, students can indicate and rank the subjects they need help with. On their part, volunteer tutors choose what to teach from a list of examinable subjects in Singapore, and indicate their experience level.
The students and tutors will then be matched by the CTSS team, led by Quek Hui Ying, 20. Tutors are encouraged to conduct lessons via the online tutoring platform Bramble, which has been made free with the COVID-19 outbreak.
Quek Hui Ying, 20, who started Covid-19 Tutoring Support for Students.
A week into the initiative, more than 1,400 volunteers have signed up, and more than 180 students matched with tutors.
“It has been very heart-warming to see Singaporeans stepping up to help each other,” said Hui Ying, a first-year history student at Oxford University. “Strangers can come together to do really nice things when they put their mind to it.”
CTSS is now run by a core team, all students aged 19 to 22 – three of them people whom Hui Ying didn’t previously know, but had approached her to help.
The team of students behind CTSS. Top row (left to right): Theng Shi Chee, Quek Hui Ying, Ellisha Khairi. Bottom row (left to right): Mohammed Aizam, Yu Diwei, Benjamin Lim. (Photo: Quek Hui Ying)
HELP IS FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS IT
Setting up his TAA initiative took Andy back to his secondary school days, when he needed to book a consultation with his English teacher every week to get better at the subject.
“Now that a lot of people cannot see their teacher, I can imagine how difficult it must be, especially for students who cannot afford tuition,” Andy said.
While this service is meant primarily for students who do not have tuition, it is open to all. Said Andy: “In these difficult times, I don’t think we should be so selective in terms of who we help.
If we can give, and we have the time now, why not?
Likewise, at CTSS, the system is “based on trust”, Hui Ying said.
The team does not ask about the background of a student or their parents. But one single mother of four shared with them how difficult it has been to cope with the outbreak – she had lost her job, and it has been a struggle to juggle HBL for all her children.
So the team hopes to reach out to more Family Service Centres and student care centres, which are best able to identify families in real need. “To all students who really need academic support, don’t be afraid to sign up. We are ready to help,” Hui Ying said.
The CTSS website.
While Andy is unable to track how many students have used TAA so far – since students choose and contact their tutor directly – he worries that word of the initiative has been spreading only among those who can offer tuition support.
He hopes this resource can be shared with more parents and students in need. “With so many volunteers, it shows that many have the same concern for students… What we get in return (for our time) is students not lagging behind. That is the greatest satisfaction for a tutor.”
SINGAPORE: With so much news circulating about the COVID-19 situation in Singapore, freelance yoga teacher Ms Lim Lishan feels more anxious than usual. While she does not usually have anxiety, she has been experiencing a faster heart rate and shallow breathing more often these days.
Ms Lim, who was previously diagnosed with type one bipolar disorder and bulimia nervosa, said: “You keep seeing a lot of news and you hear people around you always talking about it, so it does make you feel anxious.
“And there are a lot of fears in people. I feel like this virus has triggered a sense of uncertainty and insecurity, and made people panic more. I’m more sensitive in nature so I feel that it increases my anxiety level.”
Ms Lim is just one of the Singaporeans whose mental health has been affected by the COVID-19 situation, feeling anxious and uncertain about the future.
Calls from new clients to mental health hotlines have gone up, while existing clients have expressed fresh worries about their health and the economic fallout, according to mental health organisations and counsellors CNA spoke to.
Worldwide, the number of calls made to mental health hotlines has jumped as well, according to news reports. Calls to US federal crisis hotline Disaster Distress Helpline spiked 891 per cent in March year-on-year, CNN reported. In China, hotlines that sprung up in response to the COVID-19 outbreak were inundated by callers, Reuters said.
For digital marketing freelancer Vivien Yap, 24, who experiences depressive symptoms, she did not feel as anxious about the situation as much as she thought she would at first.
“When it happened, I felt slightly better because it felt like the whole world was on my level… And it really just felt like the whole world was depressed as well, everyone was going through the same uncertainty.”
However, she started feeling more anxious when she received a notice from her employer informing her that her pay would be cut by 25 to 30 per cent, shortly after the circuit breaker measures were announced on Apr 3.
Ms Yap, who is also a local musician, is in the middle of producing her next music release, and was worried about her expenses.
“My pay is being cut by 25 to 30 per cent, that’s quite a lot of money, but I still need to support and pay the people who are helping me (with my music).
“And I don’t want to tell them, ‘hey we’re in tough times can we slow down the payment?’ because I know (for the arts freelancers) it’s really far worse. So that’s when the anxiety kicked in for me.”
MORE DIALING IN
Suicide prevention agency Samaritans of Singapore’s (SOS) chief executive Mr Gasper Tan said that they received an increase of more than 22 per cent in the number of calls attended to on their 24-hour hotline in March 2020 as compared to that of the same period in 2019.
The Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH) observed an increase in phone calls to several services as well. The SAMH Insight Centre, which provides counselling services, saw an increase in helpline calls by 50 per cent in February and March 2020 compared to the average calls from April 2019 to Jan 2020, it said.
Sessions on Fei Yue Community Services’ online counselling portal eC2.sg surged last month, a spokesperson said. The number of chats more than doubled in March this year to 85, after averaging about 40 chats a month in 2018 and 2019.
According to the various organisations, callers have brought up a range of issues, from their employment prospects – some have lost their jobs, while others will graduate to a potentially bleak employment market – to their increasing fear of catching the invisible pathogen, especially if they were to pass it to their loved ones unknowingly.
With schools and workplaces shutting down, and restrictions on movements in play, individuals may start to feel a lack of control over their situation as well, leading to more stress that gets harder to manage, said the Fei Yue spokesperson.
A cordoned-off playground near Block 878A Tampines Street 86. (Photo: Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources)
“The fear, anxiety and the loss of a sense of control over a prolonged period of time can be detrimental to one’s mental health,” added Mr Tan.
“Being exposed to prolonged stress may be overwhelming to an individual with intense feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.”
CONTENTS OF DISCUSSION HAVE “SHIFTED DRASTICALLY”
Attendance at some counselling services has been consistent, but some existing clients have been raising issues related to the virus, they say.
Dr Tracie Lazaroo, a clinical psychologist from Inner Light Psychological Services and LP Clinic, said that the nature of the content within the appointments has “shifted drastically”.
“The pandemic has affected people in different ways: For some it has given increased anxiety, for others it has created a hyper vigilance over health related issues.”
Individuals that are accustomed to a routine and a specific level of socialisation may find it hard to shift their lifestyle patterns, she said, adding that pressure levels among those with mental health conditions may compound as they struggle to adapt to the crisis while dealing with already-present stressors.
Given that the virus is invisible to the human eye, some people have become paranoid about their safety, she added, producing “an attitude of hyper vigilance and overthinking where prolonged fear can negatively impact their mental well-being”.
Youth mental health non-profit Limitless has similarly not seen an uptick in people asking for help, its founder Mr Asher Low said, but their beneficiaries have been expressing unease over factors stemming from COVID-19.
“Some are genuinely concerned about not being able to get jobs, some are concerned about money, some are concerned about losing family members, quite a few are just very affected by the isolation,” he said.
With classes now put on hold till the end of April, many centres have turned to home-based learning, with lessons mostly delivered online.
COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS FEARS
To be mentally healthy during this period, be committed about staying connected with friends and family members, the mental health advocates said.
“Maintaining a strong social connection, either through social media, texts or calls, is as important as prioritising a healthy diet and sleep pattern,” SOS’ Mr Tan said. “This period is also an opportunity to catch up and engage in meaningful conversations with family members.”
And for those who need someone to confide in – there is no shame in reaching out, the counsellors said. There are hotlines to call – including a national one rolled out on Friday – and mental well-being webinars to join.
For example, Brahm Centre has launched daily workout sessions and mindfulness workshops that participants can join either via Facebook Live or Zoom.
Instead of harping on the constraints, view the ‘circuit breaker’ as a chance to do something meaningful as well, they said, like signing up for a course online, gardening or learning a new recipe.
“Focus on things that are within your control,” Dr Lazaroo said. “It is important to acknowledge your own limits, and do small activities that can improve your self-care and strengthen your resilience.”
“Practice mindfulness, gratitude, self compassion and living in the moment.”
SINGAPORE: The hashtag #WFH (“working from home”) has dominated social media posts, as Singapore’s “circuit breaker” measures kick in and non-essential workplaces shutter.
It is difficult enough to lead teams in the middle of market conditions worsening faster than the 2008 global financial crisis. Try doing that while figuring out split teams and physical isolation, not to mention fighting off panic at the growing contagion.
It is precisely in a time like this we need to stay united and learn from one another.
I have been privileged to speak with many business and HR leaders since the outbreak (over video calls no less) and have distilled five useful tips, cross-referenced with global studies, for managing remote teams.
First, don’t let your team have to second guess how their lives at work will look like. They are already surrounded by a swirling vortex of uncertainty. Work should not add to that.
A survey conducted by healthcare consultancy Business Group Health revealed 54 per cent of employees believe employers are responsible for protecting the public during health crises, and have high levels of trust in their organisations.
Leaders should create common reference points for their teams of information on company policies and internal communications – where they can find announcements related to work arrangements during this COVID-19 crisis.
Most importantly, organisations must outline the reasons behind these policies and articulate the leadership principles guiding decision-making through this crisis, whether this entails fixing a Zoom meeting at a certain time of the day or coordinating actions with other departments.
Small toy figures are seen in front of diplayed Zoom logo in this illustration taken March 19, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
The good news is, the same study also indicated seven in 10 large employers have an established emergency preparedness plan to guide supportive measures for employees during the coronavirus outbreak.
But for teams working through these, creating these reference points can be as simple as having an internal document circulated to everyone and updated periodically, with links to authoritative sources of information to prevent the spread of disinformation.
2. ENCOURAGE AND COMMUNICATE ROUTINES
Second, accept that we all need some element of predictability in our lives. Having a daily working routine helps reduce stress from uncertainty and improves productivity. Communicate what this is to your team.
The top-performing companies we observed established working routines for their teams even while they were working from home.
The basics include maintaining connectivity during stipulated office hours. In some cases, team members check in over chat with their managers when they start and end work for the day.
Using status icons helps to indicate availability where teams aren’t used to sharing calendars.
Counterintuitively, the importance of the routine is not the hours when people are at work. Respecting “out of office” hours allows for a psychological separation of work and personal lives.
Good managers focus on team productivity during working hours but they also do their best to protect downtime as far as possible because productivity is negatively impacted when team members are “always-on”.
A study conducted by Airtasker, an online services marketplace, showed on average, remote employees worked 1.4 more days every month, or 16.8 more days every year, than those who worked in an office.
3. USE VIDEO CALLS, GIFS, EVEN EMOJIS, TO CONNECT
Third, embrace the fact that humans are social animals and thrive on non-verbal cues exchanged in face-to-face communication, which cannot be allowed to disappear with remote working. Ask how you can move beyond emails and instant messaging when communicating with the team.
Video calls are a great idea. They allow for some non-verbal communication, improve understanding and allow for constructive conversations when there is disagreement between two or more parties.
Research conducted by Gartner revealed 40 per cent of organisations have set up additional virtual check-ins for employees with managers and 32 per cent have introduced new tools for virtual meetings.
Video calls also prompt individuals to find a dedicated workstation at home, a best practice that improves productivity while also encouraging some physical separation between work and personal life.
Over chat, using appropriate emojis, stickers and GIFs (video snippets) can convey tone more effectively and augment textual communication, avoiding miscommunication during stressful situations.
4. ENCOURAGE ‘SANITY CALLS’
Fourth, keep in mind that even for those familiar with remote work, one can easily feel out of sight and out of mind. Check in with your team regularly.
One of the most common complaints about remote work is loneliness. Separating employees from their teams and organisations affects talent functionally, socially and emotionally.
During sensitive periods, organisations must fight isolation by strengthening relationships and diffusing a sense of resilience.
A study by remote company Buffer found that one in five remote workers identify loneliness as their biggest struggle, on par with difficulties in collaboration and communication.
Some organisations like Asia’s leading financial supermarket, GoBear, have shared they allocate time to do “sanity calls” – dedicated video calls to check in individuals or groups.
Having coffee, or a meal, together virtually can help break up periods of being alone, and help team members take time out from work. Ideally, all parties on the call would close windows on their desktops and focus on connecting with one another.
Likewise, the leading superapp in Southeast Asia, Grab, launched a radio station that shares information and allows for song dedications between employees. They also have a chat board that pairs employees who do not know each other well for virtual coffee sessions. Employees get to know each other better, strengthening the social bonds across the company during these difficult times.
All these help tackle feelings of isolation. As an added bonus, they also allow bosses to demonstrate care and concern for their team through a very difficult and stressful period.
Combining these initiatives with regular organisational climate surveys to assess overall morale can nip remote work challenges in the bud.
5. ACCEPT A PRODUCTIVITY RAMP TIME
Fifth, understand that teams will need time to get used to working remotely; they must “build muscle” before they can become truly effective. Productivity may drop in the first few weeks as adjustments are made so ask how they are adjusting.
When a quarantine order hits you out of nowhere, online delivery services will save the day. (Photo: Pexels/Canva Studio)
Each team member will take time to get used to the new way of working and develop a natural rhythm. They may need to ensure their home Wi-Fi bandwidths are enough and set clear boundaries with other family members at home also working remotely.
The best leaders we spoke to planned for this, and in some cases, chose to bite the bullet earlier to get a head start before the circuit breakers were rolled out.
The coronavirus story is one with an unclear ending.
But it is likely that the economy will take longer to recover and get COVID-19 under control. Even after the pandemic is over, businesses have a chance to reimagine and reinvent the way they work instead of reverting to old methods.
If leaders invest in these practices, they may be rewarded with more engaged, resilient and high-performing teams.
