Heath Status of Singaporeans based in China in Light of COVID-19

Mr Speaker, since the outbreak of the COVID-19, we have seen more than 2,000 new eRegistrants for mainland China in our system. Whilst we do not track the movements of Singaporeans overseas, it is reasonable for us to assume that a number of them would have since visited Mainland China and left, or returned to Singapore, at least for the time being.

Based on our current records, there are still more than 1,900 Singaporeans in mainland China who are eRegistered with us. We believe that the actual number of Singaporeans there is much higher. Therefore, this is as good a time as any for me to remind all Singaporeans overseas to please eRegister with MFA. In particular, given the on-going COVID-19 outbreak in China and in many other countries, we urge Singaporeans to eRegister with us. It enables us to stay in touch with them, to contact them and to provide for any emergency or urgent messages, as well as for them to stay in contact with us. I should also add, as the Minister in charge of the Smart Nation initiative that we have now made it even easier than every before to eRegister using SingPass Mobile.

Our Embassy in Beijing and our Consulates-General in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Xiamen maintain close contact with the Singapore community in mainland China. Any Singaporean there who is in need of consular assistance can approach my colleagues in those Missions at any time. To date, we are aware of one Singaporean who was infected with the virus and hospitalised in Hubei. Our Embassy in Beijing has been in touch with him to offer consular assistance and I am very pleased to inform the House that he has since been discharged from hospital in China.

I am also pleased that on the two flights on 30 January and 9 February this year, with the assistance of the Chinese government, the Singapore Government was able to facilitate the safe return home of 266 fellow Singaporeans and their family members from Hubei. It helped that many of them were eRegistered, which made it much easier for us to contact them and to make the arrangements to bring them home. Upon their return to Singapore, they were placed on quarantine in Government Quarantine Facilities. Amongst the 266, seven of them had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. I am glad to report that all have since been discharged from hospital.

We will have to continue to keep watch on the viral outbreak in China and indeed, in many other places of the world as the situation unfolds. In the meantime, life must go on, even as we take additional precautions and make the necessary adjustments. I would like to commend the consular officers of MFA who have been working extra hard to look out for overseas Singaporeans. We will not leave any Singaporean behind. I am confident that we will get through this crisis as one united people.

Sir, I join the Minister in thanking the Embassy Staff in China for all the hard work that they have done, as well as the sacrifices that they have made. May I ask the Minister, of the registered Singaporeans still in China, has MFA or the Embassy reached out to them to ask the reason why they are not coming back? Is it a matter of concern, or are we just assuming that if they do not want to come back, they do not want to come back and so, let them decide on their own?

I thank the Member for the supplementary question. There are multiple reasons that they have offered. Some of them, clearly, are working and living there, and their livelihoods depend on their presence in China. Others have got family members there and although there was opportunity for them to return, because they felt an obligation to look after their extended families, they stayed on. There were others – perhaps not so much now but in the earlier phase of the crisis – who were worried even about travelling, making the journey to Wuhan, and therefore, decided that they would stay in place. I think every family will have its own unique reasons. The key point is this: we will remain in touch; we will do our best to help. It would also help if they eRegistered with us because that gives us an immediate, direct line to them; and similarly, for them to us.