There has been a huge deal of panic in Singapore after Malaysia PM Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the country will be placed on lockdown from Wednesday (18 Mar).
Most notably, hordes of Singaporeans flocked to supermarkets to stock up on supplies as they fear supply lines might be cut off.
Thankfully, that’s not the case.
In an update on Tuesday (17 Mar) afternoon, PM Lee Hsien Loong said that while movement restrictions will be applied across the board, the flow of goods – including food supplies – will continue.
You can read the Facebook post here.
In the post, PM Lee said that Malaysia’s move yesterday “was not surprising” as many other countries have already implemented similar measures.
Today, both PMs spoke over the phone.
PM Lee reportedly told Muhyiddin that he understood the reasons behind the move, and wished Malaysia all the best in curbing the spread of the virus.
Source
PM Muhyiddin also told its Singapore counterpart that the flow of goods and cargo between both countries will continue. This includes food supplies.
The movement of people, which is probably more detrimental to the spread of the virus, will, however, be restricted.
From 18-31 Mar, Malaysians will not be allowed to leave the country, regardless of their purpose.
Likewise, foreigners will not be allowed to enter throughout the period.
PM Lee reassured firms that the government is working out arrangements to allow Malaysian workers to stay in Singapore for the time being.
Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean has also been appointed to coordinate responses to the Covid-19 outbreak. He will be working with his Malaysian counterpart Ismail Sabri.
In ending, PM Lee said he is heartened that Singaporeans are “calm, united, and resilient” amid this trying time.
While supermarket queues are longer than usual, customers are only buying what they need.
He reassured Singaporeans that the government has prepared for such an eventuality, and has worked out plans to cope.
While the movement restriction that starts tonight will no doubt cause inconvenience, we’re glad that the flow of goods will continue as per usual.
Even if our supplies lines from Malaysia are affected, perhaps we should heed the advice of our leaders and not panic-buy and hoard.
Let’s hope these measures prove effective in combatting the new coronavirus in Malaysia.
Featured image adapted from The Southern Illinoisan and QZ.
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