We need to work together regardless of political affiliations to deal with this national issue of the Wuhan virus in Singapore, said Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Secretary-General Dr Tan Cheng Bock earlier today (29 Jan).
In a Facebook post about the virus, Dr Tan urged everyone in Singapore to be more vigilant by paying attention to personal hygiene, avoiding crowded places, and using masks. He also urged those who were not feeling well to stay at home and see a doctor if they have unresolved symptoms like fever, cough, or diarrhoea.
Besides that, he advised people to keep an eye out for news from the Ministry of Health (MOH), adding that they should be discreet about news relating to the virus from outside sources.
Dr Tan said, “This is a national issue. We must work together regardless of political affiliations. All of us should join forces with MOH and other government agencies to combat this virus.”
Don’t play the blame game
On Monday (27 Jan), at a press conference after the opening ceremony of PSP’s new headquarters at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, Dr Tan said he thinks that the virus situation will likely effect the upcoming general elections. He said that it would not be wise to hold the elections so soon because campaign rallies and events will bring masses of people together and risk spreading the virus.
He added that it would take time to truly understand the virus and be able to contain it. Using the example of the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak, he explained that it took a while before we understood how the virus spread and how to contain it.
He also voiced about disagreement on how hospitals in Singapore designed nowadays, pointing out that they are often connected to other buildings like shopping malls where the spread of a disease or virus would be difficult to contain.
However, he noted that now is not the time to “play the blame game” but instead come together to deal with the issue at hand.
He said, “Now our focus is containing, let’s work together as a team. Let us work together, let’s play our part, and everybody understand what this disease is about.”
“It’s easier to blame people but I think let us work as a team now and quickly contain this illness,” he added.
