Lessons Learnt from Recent COVID-19 Outbreak

Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Prime Minister (a) what lessons can be learnt from the recent COVID-19 outbreak; (b) what can be improved upon to better equip and prepare Singaporeans, including education in total defence, against a pandemic outbreak; and (c) whether the Government will include production of masks and other medical protective gears as a strategic facility and support of the investment of such a facility in Singapore.

Singapore has faced several infectious disease outbreaks since SARS in 2003, including H1N1, Zika, and most recently Monkeypox. Many lessons have been drawn from these past experiences to improve our readiness for the next outbreak. Over the years, we have strengthened our epidemiological surveillance and containment capabilities, and held regular emergency preparedness exercises to keep ourselves operationally ready. The setting up of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) has enhanced our infrastructure and capabilities to manage a disease outbreak in Singapore.

When COVID-19 emerged, we alerted all our healthcare institutions and put in place precautionary measures according to our response plans. Even before Singapore had its first confirmed case, we anticipated that we would need a Whole-of-Government effort to respond effectively to this threat and we set up the Multi-Ministry Taskforce on 22 January 2020 to coordinate our responses and measures. Since then, the Taskforce has put in place in place a whole range of measures from border controls to extra precautions within Singapore. We will continue to monitor the situation and take more measures when necessary.

We recognise that an important part of our system of defence is the role that every individual plays, by exercising social responsibility, practising good personal hygiene, and supporting our fellow citizens, especially our healthcare workers on the frontline. We must not let our fears overwhelm us and cause us to behave irrationally, selfishly or irresponsibly. Instead, let us support and look out for one another, so that we can all get through this together and emerge stronger.

It is also important not to spread unverified information or false news which can cause panic and fear. The Government has and will continue to push timely information through various platforms including broadcast media, display panels in HDB estates, websites and social media, so that Singaporeans can easily refer to these authoritative sources for news, health advisories and the latest updates.

The Government has also taken proactive steps to secure essential supplies, including masks. In peacetime, we had built up a stockpile of surgical and N95 masks. As we draw down on this stockpile, we will also need to replenish it with new supplies. In recent weeks, some places like Taiwan, Thailand and India have banned or tightened regulations on the export of masks. We are therefore strengthening the resilience of our supply chain, including looking for new sources, and developing local manufacturing capabilities.

We will continue to do everything we can, to keep Singaporeans safe, and to overcome this challenging situation together.