Community spirit shines during pandemic: Report

Crisis has united S'poreans, as people, firms join hands with govt agencies to help

Volunteers sorting and packing food at non-profit organisation Food from the Heart's warehouse in February. Statistics show that calls for volunteers and donations were met with overwhelming response, with people not just pitching in for national eff
Volunteers sorting and packing food at non-profit organisation Food from the Heart's warehouse in February. Statistics show that calls for volunteers and donations were met with overwhelming response, with people not just pitching in for national efforts, but also starting spontaneous initiatives of their own. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

The Covid-19 pandemic may have forced Singaporeans to isolate themselves at home and keep a safe distance from one another, but it has also united the community in unprecedented ways, said a report on how Singapore has fared in various areas.

Since the coronavirus hit Singapore's shores in January, individuals and businesses have joined hands with public agencies to help those affected by the crisis.

This partnership between the Government and the people has been a bright spot amid the gloom, with head of the civil service Leo Yip saying yesterday: "It highlights Singaporeans' strong spirit of care and concern for one another as well as how working together has enabled us to serve those in need and overcome this crisis as one."

The biennial Singapore Public Sector Outcomes Review report takes stock of how the public sector and Singapore have fared in areas of national interest. The latest report highlighted a number of key themes, among them Singapore's response to the pandemic.

Statistics show that calls for volunteers and donations were met with overwhelming response, with people not just pitching in for national efforts, but also starting spontaneous initiatives of their own.

The report said national contact tracing programme TraceTogether now covers more than 50 per cent of the population, with more than 2.9 million app and token users as at this month. However, this remains short of the 70 per cent take-up rate that is one of three preconditions for Singapore to enter phase three of its reopening.

Some campaigns like mask collection drives attracted 28,000 grassroots, public service and citizen volunteers who manned booths at community centres and did delivery runs to give out 13.2 million masks.

More than 500 private-hire car and taxi drivers volunteered to drive people who were suspected of having Covid-19, but were clinically well, to hospitals.

Despite fears of how infectious the coronavirus can be, hundreds of general practitioner clinics also joined the Public Health Preparedness Clinic scheme to provide subsidised treatment to those with respiratory symptoms and identify those with Covid-19.

These Government-led efforts were augmented by spontaneous initiatives of regular Singaporeans and businesses big and small. Some organised movements to show their appreciation for front-line workers, while others donated care packs and food to vulnerable communities.

In all, more than 13,000 Singaporeans signed up as volunteers through the SGUnited portal set up for those who wanted to contribute, said the report.

And despite the economic fallout from the pandemic, $90 million was donated to the Community Chest, the Community Foundation of Singapore's Sayang Sayang Fund, as well as through the SG Cares app and Giving.sg from January to May - almost as much as the donations received for the whole of last year by the Community Chest and Giving.sg.

The collective effort comes on top of the nearly $100 billion set aside in the four budgets to help businesses, save jobs, support workers and strengthen social and economic resilience.

Unlike past reports, this year's report has a special section, entitled "Emerging Stronger as One", that is devoted to recognising this partnership between the Government and people in the fight against the coronavirus, Mr Yip noted.

"Whether in crisis or in normalcy, the public service will continue to strive for better outcomes for our citizens and our businesses. We will continue to partner with Singaporeans to build a better future Singapore society and economy, and to emerge stronger from this crisis," he added.

As Singapore strives to overcome the challenges in the post-Covid world, this partnership is even more critical, said the report, adding that it is in line with the Singapore Together movement, which was started to give Singaporeans a bigger say in policymaking.

Through the Singapore Together movement, more than 20 representatives of small businesses, associations, and landlord and tenant groups contributed to the development of the Rental Relief Framework, which was introduced as part of the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Amendment Bill.

Their views on the difficulties businesses faced and the impact of the proposed measures were used to refine the relief measures. With the help of contract law experts from the private sector, the Bill was introduced in 21 days, said the report.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said in a Facebook post yesterday: "This SingaporeTogether spirit has united us through this crisis of a generation. We still have much to do in our road to recovery. Let us continue to work in close partnership, and emerge even stronger as one people."


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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 27, 2020, with the headline Community spirit shines during pandemic: Report. Subscribe