As you know, unvaccinated individuals in Singapore are no longer permitted to dine in at eateries, visit attractions, or enter shopping malls thanks to the expansion of vaccination-differentiated measures which kicked in on 13 Oct.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) explained that these measures will protect unvaccinated individuals and reduce the strain on our healthcare system.
Naturally, some unvaccinated people who have been impacted by the measures aren’t too happy about the new measures.
Voicing their frustrations on social media is one thing, but asking others to “flood” government hotlines? Yeah, that’s illegal.
Telegram Groups Asked Members to ‘Flood’ Government Phone Lines
Some Telegram chat groups have reportedly asked their members to “flood” the phone lines of both MOH and The Ministry of Social and Family Development.
These calls were made on the pretext of giving feedback over the new vaccination-differentiated measures, but were really done in hostile retaliation.
One such message on a chat group said: “Get people to demand this gets pushed up to the call centre manager. And ask for them to revert back. Otherwise call again tmr (tomorrow) and ask for any feedback.”
Action Can Be Taken Against Those Who “Overwhelm & Disrupt” Government Phone Lines
In response to such calls, both ministries warned that action will be taken against people who disrupt or overwhelm essential government call centre operations or encourage others to do so.
“The incitement and carrying out of actions that aim to disrupt any essential call centre operations is illegal,” they said in a joint statement yesterday (17 Oct).
“We take this matter very seriously, and will not hesitate to work with the police and enforcement agencies to take action where necessary.”
As the two ministries explained, these phone lines are essential for residents who need prompt assistance.
By overwhelming these call centres, these bad actors are denying callers with genuine problems the opportunity to seek critical assistance.
National Care Hotline Received Over 45,000 Calls Since Last April
The toll that the pandemic has taken on people has been well documented, but now, we have the numbers to prove it.
One government phone line, the National Care Hotline, has received over 45,000 calls since it was set up in April last year.
The hotline provides psychological first aid and emotional support to those in distress.
Those who are unvaccinated may feel resentful of the new measures, but the fact is that unvaccinated individuals are more likely to suffer severe illness or pass away from COVID-19.
In the meantime, let’s avoid taking our frustrations on these hotlines; in the end, it’s needy residents who will be affected.
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Featured Image: Souvick_Mukherjee/ Shutterstock.com
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