By Roy Mabasa
The Philippine Embassy in Singapore on Wednesday called on the members of the Filipino community to strictly abide by the implementation of the “circuit breaker” measures being implemented in the island-state to help mitigate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Ambassador Joseph Yap explained that the circuit breaker measures include the implementation of restrictions and new rules designed to stop the new wave of coronavirus cases with only the most essential services to remain open.
“It becomes actually tight, similar to a lockdown,” Yap said in the regular ‘Laging Handa’ briefing of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of the Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID).
To date, Singapore has a total of 9,125 COVID-positive cases, majority of which are work permit holders residing in foreign workers dormitories.
Yap said 59 Filipinos have tested positive for the virus, 27 of whom have recovered while the remaining 32 are still in the hospitals. He said Singapore authorities informed the embassy that the medical bills of those in the hospitals due to COVID-19 will be shouldered by the Singaporean government.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had earlier extended the circuit breaker measures until June 1 as the number of coronavirus cases in his country went up after showing a slow down during the past several weeks.
Since the start of the pandemic, Yap said about 300 Filipinos in Singapore have availed of the US$200 one-time cash incentive being provided by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to Filipinos abroad affected by the pandemic.
He added that the embassy, through the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), continues to process applications and assured that those qualified will receive government assistance.