Life After DORSCON Orange: Keep Calm and Carry On

On 7 February 2020 afternoon, during a press conference held at the National Press Centre, the Multi-Ministry Taskforce, formed to coordinate efforts to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19), announced that Singapore had raised the DORSCON status from Yellow to Orange.

Once the news was made public, offices started setting up queue poles on that very day in preparation for temperature screenings outside of building entrances. Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) that companies had in place, but never thought would use, came into effect.

NTUC, its social enterprises and related organisations have also taken quick steps to ensure the safety of workers and workplaces in light of the DORSCON Orange status. Here’s a look at what has been done.

Common Measures

Some of the common measures taking place right now across different facilities and offices within the NTUC family are as follows:

• Individual temperature monitoring – Conducted twice daily, and updated to Business Continuity Plan managers.
• Cleaning frequency – Increased frequency for commonly touched surfaces .
• Business Continuity Plans – Depending on your department, teams could be split to work from different locations.
• Declaration of overseas travel – Staff must declare all recent or future overseas travel plans.
• Meeting someone placed under Leave of Absence or Quarantine Order – Staff must inform department heads and human resource if they have recently done so.
• Surgical Masks – Distributed to frontline staff.
• Maintaining a list of people you have come into contact with – In case of contact tracing.
• Personal Hygiene – Staff are reminded to maintain good personal hygiene during this period, such as regular hand washing, use of hand sanitisers and to avoid touching their face with their hands.

For visitors to locations such as One Marina Boulevard, NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and NTUC Club at Downtown East, you may be restricted from accessing the offices should you have a temperature reading of 37.5 degrees and above at the screening station.

Additional Measures by NTUC First Campus (NFC)

To safeguard the children at our pre-schools, the following additional measures have been implemented at over 140 My First Skool (MFS) campuses island wide:

• Centres will not host or allow access to visitors and parents to our centres during this period
• Centres will not organise centre events involving large groups (including parents)
• Centres will reschedule fieldtrips/excursions, especially to crowded places (e.g. zoo, airport)

*Update – 12 February 2020*

The Litte Skool-House, another preschool brand under NTUC First Campus has taken a more substantial measure by temporarily vacating their premise at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Over 140 children have moved to Orchid Country Club's Emerald Suite, that has been repurposed into a temporary teaching facility.

Additional Measures by NTUC FairPrice

Other than stepping up on the cleaning regimes at all FairPrice outlets, hand sanitisers have also been made available for customers to use in-store.

Keep Calm and Carry On

While some inconvenience is to be expected, like NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng said in his Facebook post: “Yes, there will be challenges ahead but if we work proactively together, we can overcome these challenges.

“Keep calm and carry on.”