Bukit Panjang Covid-19 volunteers, PA staff given medallions as appreciation for helping residents

SINGAPORE - For Madam Annie Leow, a seasoned volunteer who has been helping others for 40 years, helping the residents of Bukit Panjang weather the Covid-19 pandemic was unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

From picking up groceries and food for those who were serving their stay-home notices to reaching out to urge older residents to get vaccinated, the evolving Covid-19 situation was a “very demanding” period, said the 65-year-old.

“There was a lot of fear. At one point, some residents did not even want to talk to us or receive the packages because they were not sure if they would get infected by coming into close contact with us,” she said.

On Sunday, Madam Leow was among more than 370 grassroots leaders, volunteers and People’s Association staff who were given medallions for their contributions towards Singapore’s fight against the pandemic.

According to Mr Liang Eng Hwa, the MP for Bukit Panjang, the recipients reached out to more than 12,500 seniors, urging them to get vaccinated.

The recipients handed out masks and hand sanitiser to more than 50,000 households over several rounds and supported the distribution of over 4,000 TraceTogether tokens.

They also helped those in need to apply for the Temporary Relief Fund, a one-off interim support scheme to help citizens and permanent residents who had lost their jobs or a significant portion of their income because of the pandemic.

Addressing the recipients at the event held at Bukit Panjang Community Club, Mr Liang likened their work to fighting a war where everyone involved “had a mission to achieve… to keep our community safe, to get through the crisis together, and (ensure) no one gets left behind”.

Professor Leo Yee Sin, who will be leaving her role as executive director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) on July 1, 2023, was also at the event.

Besides sharing her experience on managing the multiple waves of Covid-19 infections, she took questions from the recipients on subjects such as the efficacy of vaccinations.

Responding to a question about the biggest challenge to NCID in battling infectious diseases, Prof Leo said in Mandarin that it is the fear of complacency setting in, because that will be when the country is most vulnerable to disease outbreaks.

Madam Leow, when asked why she chose to volunteer, quoted a mantra her grandfather taught her: “If you can help others, help.”