The SingPost Cluster is Caused by an Irresponsible Worker

By
Boon Hun
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On 27 Mar 2020, SingPost Centre became a cluster for Covid-19 transmission.

Now, before you go crazy and happily throw away all your bills, know that there’s no risk of getting Covid-19 from your packages or letters.

No, not we say one, is this handsome man friend who said it.

Image: Unscrambled 

Well, guess what?

They found out who caused the entire disaster and decide to name and shame him. Okay, no naming but there’s plenty of shaming.

Contract Worker Caused SingPost Cluster

According to a statement released by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Minister for Communications and Information, Mr S Iswaran, said that the cluster was caused by a contract worker who came to work despite feeling unwell.

He went on to emphasise the importance of being socially responsible:

“This underscores the importance of staying at home and avoiding social interactions if unwell.”

And added that social responsibility is very important in the fight against Covid-19.

SingPost added that the worker came to work on 19 Mar while he was on medical leave.

In Total, 7 SingPost Staff Infected With Covid-19

On 27 Mar, when we wrote about SingPost Centre becoming a local cluster, 3 staff were tested positive for Covid-19.

In a statement released by SingPost on 2 Apr, they revealed the employees who tested positive for Covid-19 between 27 Mar and 2 Apr.

  • Case 581, confirmed on Mar. 24. He is a 47-year-old male Singapore Permanent Resident.
  • Case 689 is a 76-year-old female Singapore citizen who had a recent travel history to Malaysia.
  • Case 724 is a 29-year-old male Malaysian, who is a Singapore Work Pass Holder.
  • Case 740 is a 25-year-old male China citizen, who is a Singapore Work Pass Holder.
  • Case 796 is a 26-year-old male Malaysian, a Singapore Work Pass Holder, who had a recent travel history to Malaysia.
  • Case 881 is a 39-year-old male Singapore Permanent Resident with recent travel history to Malaysia.

Dozens more were quarantined for precautionary measures.

Infected employees were not postmen, they clarified, and has no direct interaction with the public during the course of their work.

SingPost assures that following the disaster, they have disinfected all of their facilities and spent “countless” hours on contact tracing.

Expect A Delay In Mails

So, with the facility down and manpower reduced, we (kind of) expect what’s next, right?

SingPost also said that there will be a possible delay in the delivery of mails of up to 3 working days.

IMDA is currently working with SingPost to minimise the disruption to Singapore’s mail delivery service, including helping to facilitate the recruitment of people who lost their jobs in other industries.

They are also urging people who are looking for employment to look towards SingPost for positions as well.

So Practise Social Responsibility

Experts spoke to by ST said that how the Covid-19 pandemic in Singapore progresses is no longer in the government’s hands, but the hands of each and every person in Singapore.

If every Singaporean were to behave like the contract worker spoken about above, we’re probably going to see numbers soar up over the next two weeks.

If, however, Singaporeans were to behave like the NCID porter who was tested positive for Covid-19, we have a better chance.

You can do your part as a responsible citizen through helping out in contact tracing by downloading the TraceTogether app.

In the meantime, keep yourself updated by bookmarking MOH’s website here and registering for the Gov.sg’s WhatsApp service here.

Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:

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Boon Hun
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