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Living with uncertainty requires us to update our 2020 playbook

Why flip-flop from lockdown to opening up? Why ask people to stay home yet allow shops and offices to open? Why test so many people if we are to live with endemic Covid-19? These confusing signals are characteristic of the Covid-19 situation in 2021 - and we need to update our mindsets on how to interpret such messages.

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A recent slew of reports about the Covid-19 situation has painted a picture of confused Singaporeans unsure about how to respond to constantly changing rules, or worse, suggesting Singaporeans are taking fright and panicking over loosening restrictions.

For example, those on home quarantine or home recovery are upset when unable to get the Ministry of Health on its hotlines to clarify their next steps, or when they wait in vain for days for the promised swabber/quarantine order/discharge/transport to healthcare facility.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 08, 2021, with the headline Living with uncertainty requires us to update our 2020 playbook. Subscribe