From an article in telegraph 9 April
Singapore's enviable coronavirus response is a reminder of its miserable illiberalism ANTONIA SYN 9 APRIL 2020 • 1:00PM
As an
LSE student from Singapore, in the last few weeks I have experienced lockdown both UK and Singaporean-style.
In fact, I am writing this from a hotel room where, admittedly at government expense, I am being quarantined for a fortnight, before I can see my family.
If I come into contact with someone who may have displayed some symptoms of coronavirus, I will instantly be confined again to home for another fortnight. I will need to respond each day to multiple text messages and calls, asking me to confirm my location using FaceTime, to show I’ve not left home.
Testing is frequent and free, and the government generously pays hospital bills in full for all patients suspected of Covid-19.
Before returning to Singapore, when I was still in the UK, I was trusted to abide by the coronavirus guidelines, though. Here, it isn’t up to me.
International observers, including in Britain, have been impressed by the effectiveness of the Singaporean government’s response.
They haven’t always noticed that the harsh consequences for flouting the Stay-Home Notice (SHN), run to the extent of stripping citizens of their passports to punish misbehaviour.
Singapore has quarantined 20,000 foreign workers, mainly men from South Asia who work in construction, in their dormitories for two weeks. These buildings, the Westlite Toh Guan and S11 at Punggol dormitories, are reportedly overcrowded and dirty. There are typically twelve workers per room, and they have complained of overflowing loos and cockroaches.
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Contact tracing is aggressively coordinated with the Ministry of Health, armed forces, and police all visiting people who may have crossed paths with people who have shown possible symptoms. People violating the Stay-Home Notices can receive jail terms up to six months, fines up to S$10,000 (£5,657), or both.
