Step aside, Hello Kitty dolls and iPhones, there’s a new trendy item in town.
The surgical mask.
As you know, ever since the Covid-19 virus started infecting people in Singapore, the dormant Kiasu Uncle that laid deep in the hearts of every Singaporean awakened and compelled its owner to purchase as many surgical masks as possible.
This led to many retail outlets running out of the stuff, and that led to more panic.
But now, since many Asian countries are clamping down on mask exports, Singapore might have to start producing their own masks.
S’pore Might Be Producing Its Own Masks After Other Countries Reduce Export of Masks to S’pore
Lawrence Wong, the Minister for National Development, said that Singapore is now looking for new sources of supply for masks and developing capabilities to manufacture masks locally.
“In recent weeks, some places like Taiwan, Thailand, and India have banned or tightened regulations on the export of masks,” he said in a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday (18 Feb).
“We are therefore strengthening the resilience of our supply chain, including looking for new sources, and developing local manufacturing capabilities.”
Mr Wong added that the Government is taking proactive steps to secure essential supplies such as masks, according to The Straits Times.
“In peacetime, we had built up a stockpile of surgical and N95 masks. As we draw down on this stockpile, we will also need to replenish it with new supplies,” he said.
Well prepared before first local case
You may not know this, but precautionary measures were already put in place before Singapore even confirmed its first Covid-19 case.
“Even before Singapore had its first confirmed case, we anticipated that we would need a whole-of-government effort to respond effectively to this threat,” he said.
Mr Wong said that the outbreak of diseases like Sars, H1N1, Zika, and monkeypox improved the country’s readiness for the next outbreak.
I mean, there’s a reason why researchers from Harvard praised our Covid-19 detection system.
“Over the years, we have strengthened our epidemiological surveillance and containment capabilities, and held regular emergency preparedness exercises to keep ourselves operationally ready” he said.
Task Force
Mr Wong also co-chairs the multi-ministry task force that was set up on 22 Jan to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak.
They are the ones who implemented a range of measures from border controls to extra precautions within Singapore.
In addition to the topic of the production of masks, Mr Wong also urged Singaporeans not to panic during this outbreak.
“We must not let our fears overwhelm us and cause us to behave irrationally, selfishly or irresponsibly. Instead, let us support and look out for one another, so that we can all get through this together and emerge stronger,” he added.
“We will continue to do everything we can, to keep Singaporeans safe, and to overcome this challenging situation together,” he said.
So, will Singapore start producing its own masks? Nothing can be confirmed at this juncture. But if we do, you can bet a thousand masks that someone on Carousell will be re-selling them at an extremely high price.
