Manic March

COVID-19 tightened its grip on the world this month.  We saw plenty of lockdown orders from governments around the world, and most alarmingly, how the number of infected and deaths continued to rise throughout March, especially in Europe.  

A Serene Guoco Tower Atrium in The Morning - Galaxy Note 9

In Singapore, when Malaysia ordered a lockdown and closure of its borders, people started frantic buying at supermarkets.  Even till today when a week has since passed since Malaysia's drastic measure, ordering groceries online is still close to impossible with all delivery slots consistently taken up.  We also witnessed a mad rush between Malaysia and Singapore's links in Causeway and Tuas, one day before the border closure took effect.  Despite all these, these were necessary measures at such uncertain times.  The international virus spread is after all facilitated by cross border travels to and fro the affected countries.  It certainly baffles me too, how people can still think of travelling when a pandemic is raging globally.  Where have their common sense gone to?  And most importantly, where have their sense of social responsibility gone to?

Emptied Rice Shelf in Fair Price Finest Tiong Bahru Plaza - Galaxy Note 9

Singapore itself saw a steady increase with the largest spike in cases reported yesterday evening where a total of 54 cases were confirmed and number of infections effectively shot through 500.  Fortunately, these were mainly due to returning travellers.  The authorities have managed quite well in containing the local community transmissions which certainly must be commended.  Workplaces have been advised to implement social distancing such as staggering work hours and telecommuting.  My company actually implemented Work From Home very late, only starting in 23 march officially after a 1 day and 3 day trials respectively.  This is in contrast to other companies that have implemented the measures much earlier.  This pissed me off quite a bit actually because my company seems to be taking a "Reactive" approach instead of being "Proactive" in reducing the staff's risk of getting the virus.  Nevertheless, I'm just relieved to not have to travel to work for a while, especially as Guoco Tower has just announced how 2 members in Virgin Active became part of the 509 confirmed cases in Singapore (as of 23 March).  This is of course, still excluding the confirmed cases that reside in the Tanjong Pagar area....  Commuting to Tanjong Pagar feels like walking in a mine field at times...

My Work From Home Setup - Galaxy Note 9

Over the weeks we also saw drastic measures implemented in Singapore such as urging residents to defer non-essential travel, refusing entry to non-resident visitors, instructing doctors and hospitals to turn away or defer non-resident patients and submitting online health declarations.  While these measures could come across as excessive, they are really quite understandable since the infections stretches the country's resources very thin, especially in health care.  We have seen how Italy rolled out graduating medical students before their examinations to the front line, even Vietnam and Indonesia are planning the same now.  Desperate times calls for desperate measures.

Neighbouring Indonesia also see gradual increases in cases everyday.  The number of deaths in the country is the highest in South East Asia, which brings me to lament how the health ministry had initially downplayed the gravity of the matter, asking the residents to pray and take herbal supplements....  It makes me wonder why they couldn't learn from other countries that had faced the contagion earlier.  Lead times wasted by nonchalance and self-denial.  Truly after this crisis, Jokowi must dismiss the health minister Terawan for having failed to asses the situation adequately.  It is only a matter of time before the number of infections reach a hundred a day. 

I still remember what my teacher once told me in college, "wise people learn from others' mistakes".  It couldn't be more important to be observant and take prudent actions always, especially in such a precarious period.  What I'm most worried about, is not catching the virus itself, but catching it and spreading it to people I care most.  It's always about the bigger picture.

Need Coffee From Time to Time - Galaxy Note 9

Stay safe.  

Here's a closing shot for this entry:

Beautiful Morning in Alexandra Road - Galaxy Note 9

~ Photos Taken With Samsung Galaxy Note 9 ~