Coronavirus: Singaporeans tread with caution, but a ‘new normal’ appears
- Life in the city is slowly going back to normal, albeit with a little more hand hygiene
- Singapore’s prime minister has warned the virus outbreak could be around for up to a year
Club owner Eileen Chan, 30, said the crowd had dipped for two weeks in early February but has started to pick up again. “One of the good things is that people are a little bit more socially responsible; it is great that people are washing their hands after using the toilet, although that should already be the norm,” she quipped.
Life in the city is slowly picking up as Singaporeans incorporate more hygienic habits into their daily routines to cope with the virus. Although the disease spread had stabilised, with an average of just five new cases reported daily from February 15, Singapore saw the largest single-day jump on March 6 with 13 new cases.
Authorities also identified new clusters linked to “socially irresponsible actions”.
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on Tuesday chided people who were sick but continued to work in offices and go about their daily lives, unknowingly spreading the infection to others.
The country’s latest cluster sprang from a private dinner at the recreational club SAFRA Jurong, where one infected person spread the disease to 18 others, with the cluster eventually growing to 40 cases. A separate cluster traced to the Wizlearn Technologies offices in Science Park also started from staff who went to work sick.
