I know what the govt is trying to do, but the govt is not addressing the (irrational?) fears of the masses. Yes, we need a change of mindset,. This means a change of expectations. But this speech does not do it. You cannot change mindset, just by telling people "you need to change your mindset". To build a ship you will need to organise manpower, skills, resources, plan construction, divide up the work, allocate manpower and resources. BUT you need to start by painting a picture of where the ship will bring us, and what we can do.
Singaporeans are a nostalgic bunch. Draw on that. Paint a picture of the Singapore that WE miss - being able to come and go as we please. Being able to eat wherever and whatever we please. Being able to celebrate weddings and the lives of the departed as we please. Being able to celebrate new lives and commemorate each year of life. And how this pandemic has taken all that from us. Or severely restricted our lives and our freedoms as we surrendered and sacrificed our freedom, our way of life, and (for many of us) our livelihood to safeguard our lives and the lives of our loved ones.
We could go on like this. But we would be merely surviving, living in fear, cowering from an unseen hazard, giving up our lives to merely survive. And there are some voices who argue that any life lost is one life too many. They argue for a return to lockdown, restrictions, and social isolation. That that is the ONLY way to survive.
At what cost?
At the cost of our way of life. Some people have pointed fingers at our old folks chatting away at coffee shops long after their cups are empty and their drinks have turned cold. "These old folks are the ones spreading the virus, with their incessant and unmasked chatting at coffeeshops! They should be stopped!" I'd tell them to talk to these old folks, but they are afraid to talk to them. Because virus.
But if you talk to them, they will tell you that their lives are worse off for all the Covid measures, restrictions and constraints on their freedom.
They are old. They have lived. And they have seen their friends die. And they know: Life is for living. The fear of death does not keep one from dying. It simply keeps one from living.
And then our children are also affected. We try to offer the best alternative to face-to-face education, but home-based learning will NEVER be an adequate replacement for face-to-face education. We WANT our children to have the best education possible. And for that to happen, we have to return to some kind of normalcy.
How do we do that? How do we return to normal? HOW DO WE GET OUR LIVES BACK?
First, understand that Covid-19 will NOT be eradicated any time soon. If we are somehow lucky, maybe we can get rid of it in 5 - 10 years. Maybe. So do we lock down and restrict social activities on and off for 10 years? Home-based learning on and off for 10 years? Keep our elderly at home for 10 years for their (and our) own safety? We have experienced this for 18 months or more. Can we continue for 10 years?
Second, we have vaccines as a protection for Covid 19. This is a matter of facts. Vaccinated people are more resistant to the virus, Unvaccinated people are more likely to have more severe symptoms and more likely to die. If you wish to believe otherwise, you're on your own. (In typical Singapore Govt (PAP) fashion, the SG Govt has decided to curtail even more freedoms for the non-vaccinated. You may agree or disagree with this approach, but this is now the reality. And "you're on your own" has a more menacing (unintended) tone.)
Third, the Delta variant has become the dominant strain of Covid19, and it is more infectious, and more deadly. in the 10 - 11 weeks since the Delta variant was detected in Singapore (around late July), there have been more than 100 deaths. Prior to that, we had stayed at 36 deaths for over a year! Now, unless someone has clear evidence that in the last 12 weeks, our hospitals (and medical staff) has suddenly become INCOMPETENT, the conclusion should be that the Delta Variant is truly deadly. (Or you can go the tin-foil hat route and argue that these people died because of vaccination. Again, you're on your own there.)
The timing of the emergence of the Delta Variant is unfortunate. Again, we can respond to it with fear, apprehension, and go into lockdown. This would again save lives at the cost of livelihood, our way of life, and the future of our children. We would live. But in fear.
That would be the ONLY way to survive.
Is that how we want to live? Do we just want to survive? To exist and not live?
I don't know about you, but I WANT MY LIFE BACK!
I want to be able to go where I want, eat where I want, shop where I want, walk through a mall because it's a shortcut (and because it has aircon), and enjoy a buffet once in a while.
To do that, we need to live with Covid, especially the Delta Variant. And accept that living with Delta, there is a risk. Even vaccinated.
If we want to return to (some kind of) Normal, most Singaporeans will need to be vaccinated. This would slow the rate of transmission of the Delta Variant, and protect the vaccinated from more severe symptoms and reduce the chances of death. But we will need to respect that Delta is MORE virulent and more deadly. So you will need to take precautions.
A) If you are sick with flu-like symptoms, 1) wear a mask. 2) test yourself with an ART test kit, 3) isolate yourself if you test positive or if you have symptoms (note that the ART accuracy is lower than the PCR test). It may ONLY be the flu, but be considerate to others who would not know.
B) Get vaccinated. It is your best chance to resist Delta, and your best chance to survive Delta if you are infected. If you do not wish to be vaccinated, then for the safety of others, your access to crowded areas will have to be curtailed.
We will get there (normalcy). Eventually. But for now, we are adjusting. We need to change our focus. We need to learn not to be afraid of Covid. And be able to take it all in stride.
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