Fighting COVID-19
I recalled that I wrote on “Fighting COVID-19” on 26Mar’20. Honestly, at the point of writing, I thought it would be a short war against the virus. Now we all realise that it is going to be a prolong world war against it. The bottom line is that we will ultimately overcome and overrun the virus pandemic and emerge as a stronger human race than ever.
The COVID-19 is on everyone’s mind
Today, I went for my usual evening run. I am glad that the government did not insist that we run with mask. Otherwise I would have collapsed before I could complete the run due to out of breath. During the run, I was just behind an elderly man who suddenly coughed and spitted on the ground. I was shocked and a number of thoughts went through my mind, “What if he is infected with COVID-19? If so, his saliva or mucous he spat out could eventually evaporate and the air-borne virus could infect others.” I ran past him, but I did not confront him. I was too anxious to finish and end my torturous exercise than worrying about the hypothetical danger that could harm the community.
The new norm
In the earlier days, Singapore declared that tuberculosis (commonly known as TB for short) was an epidemic. The government launched a huge anti-spitting campaign against TB and fined $300 for anyone caught spitting in public places. It was a taboo to spit then. Today, we seldom see anyone spitting in public openly – unless one cannot control and will do it quietly behind some bushes. Today it is an offence not to where mask when one is out to run an errand. I wonder if wearing a mask will be the new norm? I certainly hope not.
Hygiene is top of mind
In Hovi Club, we take personal hygiene seriously. Even at home, we use hand sanitizer to clean our hands after we are back from running an errand. We now wash our hands more regularly than before. Hygiene and cleanliness have become a hallmark in our course of daily routines. I certainly hope this habit and culture will continue with us.
We are looking forward to the end of Circuit Breaker period on 4May’20 so that we can all return to our work and offices. Loneliness and absence of community interactions are making us depressed and meaningless. We long to be back at our centre to welcome the elderly back and enjoy one another’s company and laughter. See you soon!
Written by Tommy Tan