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Ban on new visitors who have been to China is to protect S'pore's public health, anti-China sentiment unhelpful: PM Lee

SINGAPORE — The move to bar new visitors who have recently been to mainland China from entering Singapore is a pre-emptive one "purely to protect our public health", Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday (Feb 1).

Speaking at a Chinese New Year dinner in his Teck Ghee ward, Mr Lee noted that China is “doing all it can” to contain the virus, and that Singapore’s travel restrictions are in line with China’s border control efforts.

Speaking at a Chinese New Year dinner in his Teck Ghee ward, Mr Lee noted that China is “doing all it can” to contain the virus, and that Singapore’s travel restrictions are in line with China’s border control efforts.

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SINGAPORE — The move to bar new visitors who have recently been to mainland China from entering Singapore is a pre-emptive one "purely to protect our public health", Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday (Feb 1). 

Speaking to around 2,500 Ang Mo Kio residents at a Chinese New Year dinner in his Teck Ghee ward, Mr Lee noted that China is “doing all it can” to contain the Wuhan coronavirus, and that Singapore’s travel restrictions are in line with China’s border control efforts. 

He also slammed the anti-Chinese sentiment that has bubbled up in the last few days in several countries.

Said Mr Lee: “Regrettably, anti-PRC (People’s Republic of China) sentiment has come up in the last few days in many countries. This is not helpful at all.

“Even though the virus started in Wuhan, it doesn’t respect nationality or race — anybody can be infected. The virus does not check a person’s passport before it infects him.

“This is a problem that all countries must work together to solve, because it can easily get out of control in any one country, not just China.”

Speaking in Mandarin, he said he learned of a group of Singaporeans who, while on vacation in Australia, was mistaken to be Chinese nationals and was not permitted to take part in certain tourist activities. He also noted how netizens were calling for boycotts against Chinese nationals online.

This is the wrong attitude and a bad practice, said Mr Lee.

He noted China’s response to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak has been “much stronger” compared to the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in 2003.

“They have imposed their own travel restrictions on their end, including cancelling all outbound tour groups and bringing back Hubei residents from overseas,” said Mr Lee. 

“So our efforts will complement theirs. We wish China well in their efforts to fight the virus. We have confidence that China and the other countries will work together to win this battle.”

On Friday, Singapore moved to bar all new visitors who have been to China in the last 14 days from entering or transiting through the country from 11.59pm Saturday. The announcement came after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency on the virus.

New visas would not be issued to those with PRC passports, all new work pass applications for foreign workers from mainland China, and previously issued short-term and multiple-visit visas for those with PRC passports would be suspended.

These were done because Singapore has to protect itself from the situation in China, where the spread of the virus is much wider, he said. Other countries have also imposed similar restrictions, he noted.

Singapore is also a travel hub, and were the virus to spread to neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia and cause outbreaks there, there would be a big problem for Singapore, said Mr Lee.

On Saturday, Vietnam announced it has suspended all China flights as part of “strengthening measures” against the outbreak, while Australia said on the same day that it would bar non-citizens arriving from China from entering the country.

Comparing the current situation with Sars, Mr Lee said social media, which he described as “a boon and a bane” in the ongoing outbreak, did not exist back in 2003. Misleading rumours and false information are making their rounds online, on Facebook, and on messaging app WhatsApp.

“Some of these go viral because people are anxious, and want to share information without verifying it. These rumours can easily make anxieties worse… and can even spark fear and panic.”

He then urged residents to verify facts through trusted channels — the mainstream press, Mediacorp, Singapore Press Holdings and government channels such as the Factually website.

Mr Lee noted that since Singapore overcame Sars, it has been preparing itself for another similar viral outbreak.

“Now we are better prepared. We have better medical facilities, like the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, which I visited yesterday,” he said.

“Our healthcare professionals are also now better trained to deal with this scenario. So I have every confidence that we can overcome this challenge before us.”

On the topic of surgical masks, Mr Lee reiterated that people who are healthy and do not have any symptoms do not need to wear one.

More important than putting on a mask is to practise good hygiene, such as washing hands frequently or staying home if one is feeling ill. Mr Lee said that it is more likely that the virus infects someone because they contacted the virus through their hands, rather than through the air.

Those who faced difficulty getting a mask can collect a free pack of four surgical masks from the People’s Association, which is distributing them to all households in stages from Feb 1 to Feb 9.

Mr Lee, who visited one such distribution exercise in Teck Ghee before the dinner, thanked grassroot leaders and volunteers for their help. 

The Residents’ Committee which distributed the masks had 3,000 households in its area, and managed to give out to 500 of them. Those who did not manage to collect their masks can do so at community centres on another date, said Mr Lee.

“Let us remain resilient and calm, respond to the situation as one united nation, and show care and concern for our fellow human beings, continue with our lives as much as possible," he said. 

"We have confidence that we will get through this together, because we are well prepared, and have dealt with worse situations before.”

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Wuhan Wuhan virus coronavirus Travel Lee Hsien Loong

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