Experts’ Suggestions on How to Ensure That CNY House Visits Are Safe for Everyone

Last Updated on 2022-01-11 , 12:46 pm

Chinese New Year is coming, and most of us are happy because it’s a public holiday. Free rest day and all that.

However, there’s one group of people in Singapore who are not as happy as the rest of us: those who are concerned about Covid-19.

Or, specifically, the possibility of a spike in cases after the Lunar New Year.

Don’t want that to happen in Singapore?

Well, here’s what you can do during the Chinese New Year period to prevent such a future from happening.

Individual Plating

Buffets in Singapore, or, at least, those that require you to stand up and walk to a buffet counter to take your food, no longer exists.

Instead, if you were to go to a buffet today, there’ll be staff on hand to pass you all the food you need from the buffet counter or the kitchens.

Experts in Singapore like Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore, are suggesting that the same practice be implemented in homes during Chinese New Year.

When people who are unmasked takes food from a shared plate, they might emit droplets onto the food items, he pointed out.

And if the person happens to be infected, transmissions would occur.

Food may need to be plated for individuals, he added.

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Practise Strict Hand Hygiene

Even before mask-wearing became a requirement, people in Singapore were already told to wash their hands regularly with soap.

If unable to do so, they should at least sanitise their hands regularly with hand sanitisers high in alcohol content.

Professor Teo also suggested that antiseptic wipes could be given to guests when they visit your home.

Dr Ling Li Min from Gleneagles Hospital agrees with his sentiments.

Pointing out that it’s “impossible” to clean all doorknobs and other surfaces, and that people in Singapore should practise strict hand hygiene whenever possible.

“If we have touched an external surface and are going to use our bare hands to put anything in our mouths, we should really wash our hands with soap and water or clean them with wipes.”

Wear A Mask, Always

Dr Leong Hoe Nam, the infectious diseases specialist that we should all be familiar with by now, added his own two cents in.

Transmission via surface contamination isn’t the biggest concern simply because the hot and humid weather in Singapore isn’t the best environment for the virus to survive.

Wearing a good quality mask throughout your visit, except when you eat or drink, is a “valuable” precaution to follow, he says.

Even when you’re playing mahjong, he added.

So there you go, three tips to make CNY, and the period after the festive season, a safer and happier time for all.

For those who need a refresher on what new rules are implemented during this Lunar New Year, you can read this article here.

Featured Image: wong yu liang / Shutterstock.com