PM Lee has just given a speech—
Well, to all the panic buyers, while you’re queuing up with rolls of toilet paper and reading this, Sheng Siong staff thank you for contributing to their bonus.
And also, as you’re paying for the daily essentials that can last you till 2023, let me correct and complete the first paragraph:
PM Lee has just given the annual May Day message.
Everything About PM Lee’s May Day Message We Should Know About
Every year, one day before Labour Day, PM Lee will give a May Day message, followed by a lively (and crowded) May Day Rally whereby you’d see NTUC heads (usually also politicians) calling each other “brothers” and “sisters” as it’s a day to celebrate workers.
Needless to say, this year’s different: the May Day message is still there, but the rally has now gone online, and the annual May Day Awards would be cancelled.
For the message, it’s usually about jobs and workers—for example, last year, PM Lee spoke about how to upgrade and retain workers lah, how the retrenchment rate was low lah and how productivity has increased lah.
But this year; this year, it’s different.
After all, how do you celebrate workers when there are fewer workers in the workforce now?
Am I considered a worker when I work 5 minutes and sleep 50 minutes daily?
This year, PM Lee spoke extensively about the impact caused by COVID-19 and the future ahead.
We’re going to list them down in point form so it’ll be easier to digest.
Economy to Restart Progressively
Like what we’ve heard countless times, PM Lee reiterated that the economy would be restarted progressively after the Circuit Breaker period instead of at one go.
This is in tandem with what other countries are doing, too.
Some sectors would open up sooner than others, while some might open later, especially those that attract crowds or involve close contacts with other people, such as entertainment outlets and large-scale sporting events.
In other words, say goodbye to clubs and bars.
Recovery Would Take Time
Some companies and sectors have been hit badly; an example would be SIA.
With travel restrictions and whatnot, the company is facing its biggest crisis ever, but the authorities would do their best to help these sectors and companies.
In the example of SIA, grounded cabin crew are now helping out in hospitals and as safe-distancing ambassadors, and when everything’s back to normal, they can be up and flying again.
Changes in the World
Some industries might be disrupted completely, and some jobs would disappear completely. This meant that we need to adjust to the new normal because we would not go back to status quo ante even after the Circuit Breaker ends—heck, even after the entire COVID-19 outbreak ends, I may add.
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This means we’d have to adjust and learn new skills, or move to other sectors if needed. A good example would be telecommuting; how would we know that so many jobs can be done at home?
Also, people would change after this; as more people buy things online now, they might build the habit and continue to buy things online. This means businesses and people have to adapt to the changes.
Take for example, me.
Reader Bao: We don’t care about you
Before Circuit Breaker, I would make sure I dabao my food because I didn’t even know how food delivery platforms work. I can now see myself using food delivery platforms often even after COVID-19 is part of our history.
Reader Bao: Okay, you make sense
Now, while PM Lee didn’t mention anything new (it’s a message to motivate workers, after all), there’s one thing that is worth mentioning:
This COVID-19 might be a nasty bug that disrupts our lives, but it has made more people IT-savvy.
This means our path to be a Smart Nation just got a short cut.
And by the way, in case you’re wondering, there’s a cup but it’s a different one:
You can watch the entire speech here, and if you really need to know, the cup scene is at 9:11.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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