Some NSmen to Go Through Other Forms of Mass Testing As Social Distancing is Impossible in Some Training

The circuit breaker will be remembered as one of the darkest periods in Singapore’s history.

Bubble tea was gone, social gatherings were illegal, and lukewarm Prata was the norm.

Some NSMen, however, will remember the lockdown period as being the only time in their lives that they were able to get out of attending their In-Camp Training (ICT).

Back then, the number of Covid-19 cases was rising at an alarming rate, prompting additional safety measures.

But now that ICT session are due to resuming, the authorities are taking precautions to prevent an outbreak among soldiers.

Some NSmen to Go Through Other Forms of Mass Testing As Social Distancing is Impossible in Some Training

In addition to cutting your hair short and wearing old boots, NSmen can look forward to having a long cotton swab shoved up their nose.

According to Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, some NSMen will have to undergo tests for Covid-19 if safe distancing is not possible during their training sessions.

Speaking in Parliament, Minister Ng said this will enhance detection and help to mitigate spread of the virus.

Since this will involve mass testing, however, oropharyngeal (throat) mid-turbinate swabs or saliva tests will be utilised.

“Initial results of trials of both these different applications have been promising with regard to the acceptability and accuracy of these newer methods”, he said.

ICT to Resume Progressively From October

As previously mentioned, ICT sessions were deferred in April, which is why you heard thousands of men simultaneously cheer on 31 March when the announcement was made.

Since the number of coronavirus infections are falling, however, the Ministry of Defence announced that ICT sessions will resume progressively from Oct this year.

In addition to the proposed mass testing, other precautions have also been taken for training sessions, including:

• reducing training group sizes
• isolation for those performing critical operations
• stringent safe management measures

Covid-19 No Excuse Not to Train

In response to a parliamentary question by MP Dennis Tan about how the pandemic has affected our operational readiness, Minister Ng said that while Covid-19 is the biggest test of this generation, we must still be prepared to face threats to our national security.

“The SAF recognises that Singapore’s security challenges do not diminish during this Covid-19 pandemic – in fact would be aggressors can also take advantage of the situation to do us harm,” he said.

“The SAF will therefore continue to be vigilant, and maintain its level of operational readiness through realistic training and full manning of critical units.”

Covid-19, he said, cannot be a reason not to train.

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