Looking at your SingapoRediscovers vouchers might spark a little excitement for some in this mundane year, yet it might leave some with the stress of having to choose what you should use your $100 for to ensure the best bang for your buck.
Naturally, many Singaporeans would think of going for a staycation in a luxurious hotel in hopes that the feeling of travelling and being away from familiarity that we’ve been deprived of would somehow return.
However, following the huge incident at the Mandarin Orchard hotel, most would probably have locked up and saved their staycation plans for a better day.
Hold your vouchers, for there may just be little need for concern.
There’s No Need To Worry About Getting Infected From SHN Travellers
According to experts, the number of imported cases here is expected to rise, especially in this holiday season where people are flying back from winter countries that are experiencing a worse outbreak of COVID-19.
If border restrictions are eased in the next few months, it could also contribute to the rising number.
Following the worrying number of imported cases in the past two weeks, it’s no wonder that people are worried about staying in hotels with SHN guests.
Although there might likewise be an increase in SHN guests in hotels, the experts have said that it is not a cause for great concern.
Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that those who book their staycations at hotels serving SHN guests do not have to worry.
“Generally, hotels hosting SHN travellers are required to practise certain protocols, especially in ensuring SHN travellers and holidaying guests do not mingle. This may mean that SHN travellers are housed in a dedicated wing or on dedicated floors,” he added.
The risk of those on staycations getting infected by SHN travellers would be very small if the proper protocols were followed, and Prof Teo expects this risk to be even smaller since the authorities would be reviewing the separation protocols for hotels that serve both especially after the Mandarin Orchard incident.
In order to prevent it from happening again, Prof Teo said that there is a need to understand how it had happened, adding that “this is the nature with operations, and there will be gaps that will emerge from time to time, and the important thing here is to have a system to look out for these gaps, so they can be plugged and addressed when they occur.”
SHN And Staycation Guests Are Separated
One can never be too careful – you might be curious if a hotel staff member may unwittingly transmit the virus from an SHN traveller to staycation guests.
However, staff who serving SHN travellers do not serve staycation guests at the same time, noted Dr Ling Li Min, an infectious diseases physician at Rophi Clinic in Gleneagles Hospital.
“SHNs and guests on staycations are completely segregated… shared staff will serve SHNs on a single shift or rotation… and then serve non-SHNs,” she added, saying that accommodating both SHN and staycation guests can be done safely only if everyone continues to be responsible at all levels.
Such procedures to ensure the separation of SHN travellers and staycation guests are of extreme importance as these hotels may very well be potential hot spots, commented Professor Dale Fisher, a senior infectious diseases consultant at the National University Hospital.
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He said that the Mandarin Orchard incident suggested the possibility of a breach in infection control protocol which allowed the spread of the virus between travellers, and this risk is always present. Such breaches were also seen in Australia and Taiwan, where an imported case caused the emergence of their first local case in months.
“I am not concerned over staycations. The threat is obvious and hotels would doubtless ensure segregation of travellers from staycationers. And this case was not that. It was between travellers, so understanding how this could have happened is what is important now,” Prof Fisher said.
“This incident is a reminder that quarantine facilities… are our first line of defence from what is happening beyond our borders. The second line is what we do as a community within Singapore with distancing, masks and avoiding large groups.”
The Importance Of Genomic Sequencing
Genomic sequencing is a process that allows for the possible linkage of COVID-19 cases through finding out the genetic similarity between various coronavirus strains, which would prove to be helpful in contact tracing.
Associate Professor Alex Cook, vice-dean of research at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, emphasised the importance and value of genomic sequencing following the Mandarin Orchard incident.
The infected SHN cases found in the hotel hailed from 10 different countries and were found to have been infected with coronavirus strains with a high genetic similarity, suggesting that they had all been infected from one source.
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“Without genomic sequencing, we’d have been none the wiser about this cluster. It was quite self-contained, there’s so far no evidence of it having spilled over from the guests and staff to others in the community,” he added.
Well, while you may still be able to go for that relaxing staycation of yours now, don’t forget that caution and safe distancing measures must still be exercised.
And oh, masks, too. Watch this video to the end to know the real use of masks (and please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more informative videos!):
Featured Image: Christian Heinz / Shutterstock.com
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