Singaporeans, whether vaccinated or refusing to be jabbed, feel a social divide over coronavirus
- A mother-of-two who had held off against getting vaccinated ‘felt like a social outcast’ when Singapore announced segregation measures for the unvaccinated
- She got jabbed, but a breastfeeding mother has not and says ‘If people want to judge me, it’s on them’. A vaccinated woman laments the division over jabs
When the Singapore government announced strict segregation measures in August for those who were not yet vaccinated against Covid-19, it had an immediate desired effect. Vaccination numbers surged, from 70 per cent who had completed the two-shot regimen as of August 8, to 78 per cent just two weeks later.
Restaurants reopened to in-person dining on August 10 for those who were fully vaccinated, and a week later, strict work-from-home rules eased, allowing as many as 50 per cent of employees to return to the office. Shopping malls and cinemas were allowed to expand capacity for those who were vaccinated, and temperature screenings at entrances stopped.
Those who did remain unvaccinated felt they were being ostracised.
“I was concerned about myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), which is one of the [potential] adverse side effects of the vaccine,” she says.