It was business as usual along Chinatown Street Market on 5 February 2020 morning as shops opened their shutters for tourists and locals alike. Residents from elsewhere in Singapore were also out and about doing their morning shopping, amidst the heightened awareness of the 2019-nCoV.
Minister for Manpower Mrs Josephine Teo and NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng were also on a visit to speak to employers and workers in shops along the street, and to observe the enhanced cleaning of streets and shops.
The visit came after the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Manpower, NTUC and the Singapore National Employers Federation released an advisory a day earlier, containing additional precautionary measures for employers and employees as they continue their business operations.
The additional measures include stepping up cleaning of workplace premises, guidelines on serving unwell customers, and precautionary measures for employees.
Speaking to reporters at a doorstep at the end of his visit today, Mr Ng said that business in the area had slowed down by 30 to 50 per cent.
“Workers, whilst a little anxious, were practising good personal hygiene and taking extra effort to keep the workplace clean. We updated and assured both workers and business owners that we are working on measures to help businesses and workers.
“Yes, there will be challenges ahead but if we work proactively together, we can overcome these challenges. Keep calm and carry on,” he added.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng and Manpower Minister Josephine Teo stop to have a chat with tourists visiting Chinatown.
Tripartite partners consisting of the Ministry of Manpower, NTUC and employers are also looking at how to help businesses defray business cost and where needed, how to augment available labour, added Mr Ng.
On the workers side, he mentioned that the feedback they had gotten was that they were worried for businesses as well.
“We can actually take this opportunity, if there is indeed a slowdown, to see how we can actually prepare training courses for different employees.
“In this training, the Government and NTUC are looking at how to augment workers with allowance for training. If we can do all these together, as a tripartite partnership, then I think the ability for all of us to overcome the slowdown will be much better,” he shared.
At one of the businesses at the Chinatown visit on 5 February 2020 morning.
