A Tale of How Lee Kuan Yew Was Socially Responsible During SARS Period That All S’poreans Should Learn

Back when news broke about the mysterious pneumonia virus spreading all over Wuhan, the authorities assured us that it was not SARS.

Instead, the coronavirus is even more contagious and will probably be here to stay for the long haul.

But it’s not all bad news because the fact that we went through SARS has made us even more prepared to fight the coronavirus, according to PM Lee.

And even our late Mr Lee Kuan Yew was socially responsible during the SARS period in 2003:

A Tale of How Lee Kuan Yew Was Socially Responsible During SARS Period That All S’poreans Should Learn

A Facebook page has taken to the social media site to share how Mr Lee Kuan Yew played a part in being socially responsible back in 2003.

It recalled how when the SARS outbreak impacted Singapore in 2003, many places implemented compulsory temperature checks before entering any premises.

This measure may sound similar to the measures we have implemented today to combat the coronavirus in Singapore.

The post shared, “When the Sars outbreak hit Singapore in 2003, many places introduced mandatory temperature checks before anyone could enter buildings, to aid in the early detection of any Sars patient.”

Mr Lee Kuan Yew Had His own Ear Thermometer

Back in the day, Mr Lee Kuan Yew had his own ear thermometer which he brought around.

He would then do the socially responsible thing which was to check his own temperature before he entered any building like the Parliament house.

The page wrote, “In those days, Mr Lee Kuan Yew had his own ear thermometer and would check his own temperature before entering places such as the Parliament House.”

Cared For Singaporeans

The post ended with the poster noting that Mr Lee Kuan Yew had cared for Singaporeans and that he had led us by example.

“Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s heart was always with the people of Singapore, who he led by example.”

For example, when SARS broke out, the number of tourists dwindled, thereby negatively impacting taxi drivers as we are experiencing amidst the COVID-19 outbreak now.

Thus, he found ways to help taxi drivers during this trying time.

“In the eulogy to his father, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said “When SARS struck in 2003, he (Mr LKY) worried about taxi drivers, whose livelihoods were affected because tourists had dried up, and pressed us hard to find ways to help taxi drivers.””

You can view the full post here:

The Situation In Singapore

Today, measures have already been put in place in order to help taxi drivers and other private hire drivers cope during the coronavirus outbreak.

For instance, a $77 million package to help taxi and private-hire drivers affected by the COVID-19 has been launched.

This was announced by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Ministry of Transport (MOT) on Thursday.

“The Government recognises that there is an urgent need for targeted assistance to drivers,” LTA and MOT said in a press release.

These include helping drivers defray business costs.

Around 40,000 eligible drivers will receive up to $20 per vehicle per day for three months, contributed equally by the Government and operators.