As Covid-19 spreads in Singapore, Chinese immigrants fear a repeat of mainland experience

Singapore’s handling of the deadly coronavirus outbreak may have won plaudits from experts around the world, but Tao, a Chinese immigrant in the city state, is hoping that authorities do even more.

The 48-year-old recently lost his father to the Covid-19 illness caused by the virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan where some of his family and relatives live.

“My father died of pneumonia in Wuhan two days after the city was closed off, so I know how scary, pervasive and lethal the virus is,” he said, referring to the unprecedented lockdown of the capital of Hubei province and surrounding cities on January 23.

His father’s death has compounded Tao’s fears that a new wave of infections could hit Singapore.

“China’s methods to close off the affected cities have given Singapore some lead time to put in place measures, but there are new waves from South Korea and Europe that are about to come. They might have a greater impact on Singapore,” said the naturalised Singaporean, who asked to be identified only by his surname.

Like many Chinese immigrants living or working in the city state, Tao is anxious about the outbreak, which has crippled virus-hit communities in China and caused ripples felt thousands of miles away.

Globally, upwards of 109,000 people have been infected by the virus, which has killed more than 3,800 so far.

While most cases are in China, there have also been major outbreaks in South Korea, Italy and Iran.

Singapore has so far confirmed 160 infections, with 93 full recoveries. No deaths have been recorded, but authorities have stressed on several occasions that Singaporeans need to be mentally prepared for that scenario.

Tao’s worry that Singapore would be hit by new waves of infections – given its openness and connectedness – is shared by government officials, who have ramped up measures to tackle the outbreak, with travel bans extended to include countries where infections have mushroomed in recent weeks and checks at borders strengthened.

“The country’s containment measures are quite good and the rate of recovery is high, and I am satisfied. But the current methods might not be enough,” Tao said.

He suggested that Singapore take a leaf out of China’s book to contain the illness’ spread, giving the example of his nephew in Wuhan who is attending classes from home, keeping up with lessons using social media and mobile apps.

Tao, whose 7-year-old son is in primary school, said he was worried the outbreak would hit schools, putting his child at risk. In an attempt to boost both their immune systems, the two walk the 5km to school every day, he said.

“Big gatherings such as weddings should also be dissuaded,” he added, pointing to how it had become commonplace in China to host virtual events on online platforms, with food delivered to guests’ homes and gifts of money transferred using digital wallets.

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Other than a bout of panic buying, Singapore’s populace has mostly been going about their lives as normal. Some offices have implemented measures to split employees into teams to work from home, but schools remain open and large public gatherings have not been banned, as evidenced by the 30 cases – the city state’s largest cluster – linked to a Lunar New Year dinner at Safra Jurong on February 15 that is thought to have included as many as 200 guests.

Another celebration in early February which drew tens of thousands of people was heavily criticised online, with some Chinese nationals in Singapore taking to Weibo to express their anger at how the event was not called off.

Chang, who is originally from Beijing but lives in Singapore with her daughter, said it was sometimes difficult to square the advice they get from relatives in China – such as wearing face masks – with the fact that they are in different country where the outbreak has not hit as hard.

“Everyone’s emotions are in a mess right now,” she said. “This is especially for those whose families are in the epicentre of the outbreak. They look at the virus in a totally different light.”

It would be insensitive to say that they are overreacting as their families are directly affected, added Chang, who also asked to be identified only by her surname.

Likewise, she was at a loss when Singapore authorities said a mask should only be worn when an individual was unwell.

The Singapore government has maintained that its citizens should only wear surgical masks when they display respiratory symptoms such as a cough or runny nose, and to not hoard masks as it would deprive others, including medical professionals, who need them.

“When we heard it, we were quite confused. We were wondering why the government would say such a thing,” she said. “But after hearing their explanation and how it was part of a long-term solution, we accepted the explanation.”

Similarly, Ng, a naturalised Singaporean who has lived here for 12 years, said that she has been receiving daily messages from her parents, who are from Wuhan.

Her father has repeatedly told her to drink herbal medicine to strengthen her immune system, and to put on a mask when she leaves her house.

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She also found the Singapore government’s directive to not wear masks odd, but said she now accepted the reasoning behind it, and even lauded the government for keeping things in control.

National University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Ser said that it was not surprising to hear the coronavirus concerns of Chinese nationals in Singapore.

“It is quite understandable that they are worried, given that the situation back home in China is particularly salient for them, more so than for Singaporeans, who are by and large confident of the government’s handling of the outbreak here,” he said.

While saying that “a bit of anxiety and fear is fine”, Tan stressed that such emotions could spiral into paranoia or a sense of helplessness, leaving sufferers unable to lead their normal daily lives.

Leong Chan-Hoong, an assistant professor at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, said the measures put in place by the government had been “pretty reassuring” and its containment strategy seemed to be effective.

“But moving forward, when there is a wider spread of the coronavirus in other parts of the world, the number of cases may go up again,” he said.

At such a point, Leong said that Chinese nationals in Singapore might feel “shaken” but added that he hoped they would have “learned to live with or cope with this fear better”.

“There will be some form of habituation,” he said, adding that fear alone can drive people to do “extraordinary things” such as hoarding daily necessities like toilet paper – a phenomenon seen in several countries in recent weeks.

“Over time, people will get used to it,” he said. “They will be able to understand and comprehend the challenges better, and feel more confident that we can deal with the problem in the weeks ahead.”