SINGAPORE: Singapore has ample supply of essential food and household items, said Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing on Friday (Feb 7), as he sought to reassure the public amid a surge in demand for groceries after the Government raised its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) level to Orange.

Empty shelves and trolleys loaded with items such as instant noodles, toilet paper and milk were seen at several supermarket stores across the country, with NTUC FairPrice reporting “a sudden surge in demand” for groceries and personal hygiene products.

“There is no need to rush for essential supplies like rice or instant noodles,” said Mr Chan in a Facebook post.

” Our supply lines for these essentials are intact and there is no risk of us running a shortage of essential food or household items. We also have our national stockpile for essential items,” he added.

He urged the public to exercise individual responsibility and not hoard items unnecessarily.

“This will create undue panic and is unhelpful to the situation at hand,” he said.

READ: Coronavirus outbreak: Singapore raises DORSCON level to orange; schools to suspend inter-school, external activities

TOILET PAPER, INSTANT NOODLES “EMPTIED” FROM SHELVES

Supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice on Friday reported that several stores experienced “high traffic”, leaving some outlets temporarily short of stock.

Items including toilet paper, instant noodles and vegetables were “emptied from the shelves”, said FairPrice in a media release.

It said that it had available stock in its warehouses and was looking to re-stock stores “expeditiously”.

“Stocks for these items remain available and are being dispatched to the stores,” it said.

This comes as Singapore on Friday raised its DORSCON level to Orange from Yellow in light of the novel coronavirus situation.

Three new cases of novel coronavirus were confirmed on Friday, taking the total number of cases in the country to 33.

READ: Novel coronavirus: 3 new patients in Singapore with no China travel, link to existing cases

“As of today, we have seen a sudden surge in demand for groceries and personal hygiene products today, resulting in stores temporarily running short of stock in some instances,” said Group CEO of FairPrice Group Seah Kian Peng. 

“We call for calm as supply of daily essentials remains available and there is no need to stockpile,” he said.

Mr Seah reiterated his call for calm in a Facebook post, cautioning that “if everyone starts to buy a lot more than what they need, there will never be enough”.

“For the others who have not bought yet, give us some time to replenish the items. Let us look out and help each other and I am sure we can ride through this together,” he added.

READ: What you need to know about additional precautionary measures under DORSCON Orange

The supermarket chain has stepped up its cleaning regime for all stores and implemented measures such as making hand sanitisers available for customers to use in-store as well as twice-daily temperature screening for all staff members.

Masks have also been distributed to staff members to use if they feel unwell.

FairPrice said it employs an “ongoing strategy of source diversification” and works with suppliers from multiple countries to ensure a stable supply of daily essentials.

Another supermarket chain Sheng Siong said it had “sufficient inventory” in Singapore for food supplies and toiletries.

“Currently, we have sufficient inventory in Singapore for food supplies and toiletries to meet customers’ usual daily needs,” said a Sheng Siong spokesperson.

“We will be replenishing our stocks regularly, therefore customers do not need to over purchase on groceries and necessities,” it said, adding that its sources of supply are well-diversified.

Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress Ng Chee Meng also called for calm, saying there was no need to “overbuy” essentials.

“My colleagues at NTUC FairPrice have told me that there has been a rush to stock up on groceries,” he said in a Facebook post. “Photos are being circulated of empty shelves in several of our stores.”

“Please rest assured that we will be replenishing the shelves soon. There’s no need to overbuy.”

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SINGAPORE: The Chinese aerobatics team underwent “stringent” health checks to ensure they met Singapore’s criteria before being cleared to perform at the upcoming Singapore Airshow, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Friday (Feb 7).

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Ba Yi team is also “just as concerned” about the coronavirus outbreak in Singapore, Dr Ng told reporters on the sidelines of a visit to the Changi Airbase where he met some participants of the aerobatics display.

“The PLAAF had taken extra precautions for every member of their delegation that meet our criteria to make sure that they are healthy, well and they’ve passed all health checks,” he said.

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) had revealed on Thursday that the Ba Yi team will go for regular health and temperature monitoring during its stay in Singapore.

This comes after the public expressed concerns about their participation in the airshow, given Singapore’s travel restrictions on visitors from China.

“I think it’s natural to be concerned, and they are just as concerned as us because we have cases here,” Dr Ng said.

“In fact just like other pandemics, whether it’s SARS or H1N1, once it goes to the community you can get it from anywhere.

“But we had been very careful, and the PLAAF has been particularly careful that they observe all requirements that were needed to be healthy, and they underwent stringent tests so I’m very thankful for that.”

Dr Ng said MINDEF stands by the health and travel measures recommended by the multi-ministry task force and public health experts tackling the outbreak.

Likewise the PLAAF, as with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), is “concerned about the virus spreading within their own ranks”, he continued.

“Like the SAF, they are making preparations to make sure that if there’s an outbreak, we can either prevent or limit the extent of the outbreak even within our military troops,” he explained.

“Because if you have a situation where your military troops are sick, you have an issue about national defence, so they have taken the necessary precautions and health checks and I was happy to meet them.”

Dr Ng said the Ba Yi team has brought with them “military discipline” when in Singapore, highlighting that their presence here is supported by Chinese defence minister General Wei Fenghe.

He said he had extended an invitation last year to the “famous” Ba Yi team to perform at this year’s airshow to commemorate 30 years of diplomatic ties with China. This was when he met Gen Wei last October to sign the Enhanced Agreement on Defence Exchanges and Security Cooperation with China.

“So, I’m very happy that they are here and that they put in so much effort,” Dr Ng said, adding that the airshow will proceed “for the time being”.

“Again, it’s a measure of how strong our relationship is. You know this phrase: Good friends stick through thick and thin.”

Nevertheless, Dr Ng said everyone is aware that many countries including Singapore are “grappling” with the outbreak.

“As in previous outbreaks, whether it’s an epidemic or even a pandemic, there’s a life cycle to the viral attack,” he added.

“We must be prepared for ups and downs, but at the same time, make sure that Singapore keeps going.”

During the visit, Dr Ng met and chatted with aircrew from the Republic of Singapore Air Force, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Pacific Air Forces and the Ba Yi team.

Fighter aircraft from the two foreign forces will perform in the aerobatics segment of the airshow for the first time.

In particular, the US’ fifth-generation F-35B, which Singapore was recently cleared to buy, will take to the skies together with its equally stealthy F-22. The F-35B can also land vertically and take-off from shorter runways.

“It’s a phenomenal aircraft,” F-35 pilot Lieutenant Colonel Michael Rountree, 41, said. “Its capabilities are unique, it’s absolutely game-changing. it’s extremely flexible.”

Lt Col Rountree said it was “very significant” that Singaporeans will be able to see its future jet perform in Singapore’s airspace for the first time.

“We are very happy to be here to show these capabilities to you and hopefully strengthen our relationship with Singapore,” he added.

After speaking to US, Dr Ng boarded a bus to where the Ba Yi team was assembled alongside its distinctive blue-and-red J-10 jets.

Dr Ng clasped his palms and wished them a happy new year in Mandarin, before a crew member pulled over a staircase so he could climb into one of the jets.

The minister, who had taken a group photo with the entire crew, spent a few minutes in the cockpit. He thanked the team for being here, after which the meeting ended in warm smiles, claps and handshakes.

“I told them to focus on the show,” he said. “It’s a high-end manoeuvre, high speed, (so I told them) to be strong, focused and I think they’ll put up a good show.”

SINGAPORE: Following several cases of novel coronavirus without any links to previous cases or travel history to mainland China, Singapore on Friday (Feb 7) raised its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) level to Orange from Yellow.

With immediate effect, schools will suspend inter-school and external activities until the end of the March holidays, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). These include the national school games, learning journeys and camps.

All schools and teachers will also continue to implement already announced enhanced measures such as classroom-based assemblies.

READ: What you need to know about additional precautionary measures under DORSCON Orange

Novel coronavirus in Singapore: What we know about the confirmed cases

“I understand that Singaporeans are anxious, concerned and there’s much that we do not yet know about the virus,” said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong at a media briefing on Friday afternoon.

“New information is emerging daily, we expect that this is likely to take time to resolve, maybe months, life cannot come to a standstill but we should take all the necessary precautions and carry on with life.”

He added: “We will do our best to contain the situation and keep Singaporeans safe.”

The way Singapore deals with outbreaks like the novel coronavirus is guided by DORSCON.

The colour-coded system – which has Green, Yellow, Orange and Red categories – shows the current situation. It also indicates what needs to be done to prevent and reduce the impact of infections.

DORSCON Orange means that the disease is deemed severe and spreads easily from person to person, but has not spread widely and is being contained.

“This is not the first time which we’ve actually changed our DORSCON level and reached DORSCON Orange,” said Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, director of medical health services, MOH.

“On the previous occasion (it was) in relation to the H1N1 influenza outbreak which actually occurred in many countries in the world, we had done the same as well.” 

He added: “As we had a better understanding of that illness and realised that in fact, its behaviour was very similar to what other forms of influenza was, it provided us with the opportunity to reassess the risk associated with this infection to our population and then lower our DORSCON accordingly, and then eventually back to normal.”

National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, who was also at the briefing, said the authorities may have to adopt a different strategy based on how the virus evolves. 

“There is another scenario – which in a way (Assoc Prof Mak) alluded to: Because if you look at the situation now, the mortality rate in China is 2 per cent but outside of Hubei province, the mortality rate for this virus is 0.2 per cent. It is much lower than SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome),” said Mr Wong.

“And if the mortality rate remains low or even continues to fall further, depending on the evidence and depending on how it evolves, then I think we are dealing with something quite different and we may well have to consider a different approach.”

He added: “So these are two scenarios of how the situation may unfold. It is too early to tell right now what the strategy will be, but I am just sharing possibilities of how things may unfold in the future.” 

This announcement follows the confirmation of three new cases on Friday, all of which do not have links to previous cases or travel to mainland China.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 33.

READ: 29th coronavirus case visited Seletar clinic before being sent to hospital

With the “heightened risk posture” of DORSCON Orange, MOH said it will be introducing new precautionary measures.

“We have planned for such a scenario that involves community spread,” MOH said.

Organisers of large events should take necessary precautions such as carrying out temperature screening, looking out for respiratory symptoms such as cough or runny nose and denying entry to unwell individuals. Individuals who are unwell, on leave of absence or have recent travel history to mainland China should not attend such events.

MOH also urged organisers to cancel or defer non-essential large-scale events. At workplaces, employers should require their employees to conduct regular temperature taking and check whether they have respiratory symptoms.

READ: Condition worsens for 2 coronavirus patients in Singapore, says MOH

PRECAUTIONS AT WORKPLACE

Temperatures should be taken at least twice a day and anyone with a fever or who is unwell should leave the office immediately to see a doctor. Workplaces should also step up their business continuity plans and prepare for widespread community transmission, added MOH.

Such plans can include allowing telecommuting or dividing the workplace into segregated teams. MOH will be implementing temperature screening and closer controls for entry points into the hospitals.

Hospitals will introduce measures to care for patients with pneumonia, separately from other patients to reduce the risk of transmission.

Pre-schools and social and eldercare services will also limit the number of visitors to their premises, said MOH.

“Since last month, the Government has implemented a series of defensive measures to reduce the risk of imported cases and community transmission. We have strengthened these progressively as the situation escalated, both globally and in Singapore,” said MOH.

DORSCON: What you need to know about the framework that guides Singapore’s pandemic response

DORSCON takes into account the current disease situation overseas, how transmissible the disease is, how likely it is to arrive in Singapore and what impact it may have on the local community.

This crisis management plan did not exist in 2003, but was drafted after SARS and refined again in the wake of the swine flu (H1N1) pandemic in 2009.

At its most severe, the H1N1 pandemic in 2009-2010 was at Orange status. According to the National Library Board’s Infopedia, an estimated 415,000 people were infected with H1N1 influenza in Singapore, and there were at least 18 fatalities.

READ: Singapore confirms 2 more coronavirus cases, including 1 who attended Grand Hyatt meeting

READ: Novel coronavirus in Singapore: What we know about the confirmed cases

Singapore on Saturday widened travel restrictions to stop all new visitors of any nationality with recent travel history to mainland China from entering Singapore. These visitors are also not allowed to transit in Singapore.

The virus, believed to have originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has killed more than 600 people and infected more than 30,000, the vast majority of them in China.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the virus outbreak a global emergency.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage on the novel coronavirus and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the novel coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram