This is a collection of quotes and excerpts from letters published across newspapers, press releases, personal notes, op-eds, media outlets and testimonies in Singapore from the start of the pandemic (December 2019) to the present day. Collectively, I felt that they possess a quality of grief and resilience, hope and sorrow, pain and perseverance, and reveal both the strengths and faultlines of Singaporean society. It is my hope that this city-state one day emerges from this pandemic renewed, but the letters suggest that this rebirth may be some time away.
- Dear President Xi… (source)
This pair of letters was penned by President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping on the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
On behalf of the people of Singapore, I offer my deepest condolences to the families which have lost loved ones to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). I also wish those who have been affected by the outbreak a swift recovery and an expeditious return to their normal daily lives. Your Excellency has mounted swift, decisive and comprehensive measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak and safeguard the health of your people, which is highly commendable. These measures are beginning to yield encouraging and positive outcomes. I am confident that under your able leadership, China will overcome COVID-19 with strength and fortitude.
2. Dear Thiruben and family… (source)
This letter was written by the residents of Tanjong Pagar after National Day banners featuring a Singaporean family of South Asian descent garnered racist and xenophobic comments.
Dear Thiruben and family, we are appalled by the racist comments that unthinking people wrote on Facebook… We stand with you against racism, race baiting, xenophobia and ignorance [and] thank you for flying our country’s flag.
3. We really can’t hang on… (source)
This appeal letter by embattled KTV operators was written to Singapore’s members of parliament (MPs), in a bid to relax restrictions on their operations, which had been imposed in response to clusters linked to the operation of KTV outlets.
“If you tell us not to sell alcohol, we can don’t sell alcohol. We just want to open to let people sing. You say five vaccinated people cannot, what about two people? If two people also cannot, how about just give us one person? We can accommodate to all this, but to totally shut down all KTVs… We also need to eat, our employees also have a family to raise, we can’t ask them to waste their time and wait with us.”
4. It is hard being an infectious disease doctor in a pandemic… (source)
David Lye wrote a Facebook letter to strongly criticise a group of Singapore-based doctors who had cast doubts on the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in 2021, reflecting ongoing debates on the safety and veracity of the vaccination within the medical community, amid the urgent need to vaccinate the population against a fast-spreading COVID-19 Delta variant.
It is hard being an infectious disease doctor in a pandemic. I need a few cups of strong Kopi O… The same small group of doctors is at it again misleading and misinforming the public! They don’t tell you what may happen if Delta variant sweeps through our children in massive outbreaks and overwhelms our hospitals… They made up their own story about the unfortunate death of a child in US; the report did not say anything about heart failure and stated that investigation into the cause is under way… While our government strives to protect our children, these doctors are telling us to stop?!?!
5. Thank you, healthcare workers! (source)
To show appreciation for the brave frontline workers and healthcare professionals in Singapore, the community wrote notes of encouragement in solidarity with a movement known as #braveheartsg. The initiative was started by community group StandUpFor.SG, and drew over 800 letters.
Dearest healthcare professionals, thank you for working so tirelessly on the frontline! You are an inspiration to all of us. Thank you for being so selfless and courageous!
6. The hamster wheel (link)
In a biting exposé by the New York Times, Devadas K., CEO of Future Moves Group issued a statement criticising the indecisiveness of Singapore’s COVID-19 response, and issuing a stark warning on the potential toll the approach would visit on Singapore.
It’s just economically, sociologically, emotionally and mentally unsustainable. And, importantly, it moves Singapore in a complete 180 degrees, opposite direction from where the rest of the world is headed,” he said. “That brings us to the strategic question of where will this leave Singapore — if we don’t get off what I call the hamster wheel of opening and closing.
7. Love in the time of COVID (source)
Rachel is a Singaporean who has lived in Tokyo, Japan for the past 3 years where she co-founded an international business consultancy, film, and media production company and leads business development at a Japanese private equity investment firm. This is a love letter to her mother during the pandemic, from a world away.
Dear Mom, Last year around this time, I was on a plane traveling to celebrate your birthday and Mother’s Day with you. That evening, you were beautiful in your best outfit! You told me that the only gift you wanted was to have the family together on your special day. How quickly the world has changed. This year, we are unable to travel, and I know you must worry about me being in a foreign country during these difficult times. I’m sorry that I cannot be by your side. Although we are uncertain where the future may lead, please know that no matter how far apart we are, you will always be in my heart. In this ever-changing world, your love is perhaps the only constant.
8. COVID-19 robbed my family of the opportunity to grieve… (source)
The author’s father passed away during the pandemic, and struggled through pandemic-era restrictions for the wake and funeral.
Last Sunday, on Easter, my father died after a five-year battle with cancer. He was 76. My mother should be surrounded by family and friends visiting her at home to spend hours talking about my dad and the simple life he lived. She would also have loved to seek solace in church. But because all churches are closed and we have been told to stay home, she would have to grieve alone with her helper. We will eventually weather this storm. But if we come out of this still behaving the way we used to, then we would have robbed ourselves of a chance to be the people we were meant to be.
9. Why armored vehicles, instead of ambulances? (source)
Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine was hit with a coronavirus outbreak among its workers in October 2021, with a recent spike in cases at a dormitory in Jurong and an appalling quality of food and hygiene that houses some of its migrant staff and fraying tempers among those in residence. Riot police were deployed as a precautionary measure.
There are two thousand of us here, a quarter of whom have been infected. Why do you send in armored vehicles instead of ambulances? Why did you not send in doctors and nurses, instead you send in soldiers and policemen? Truly Minister we are not your brothers because brothers do not treat each other like criminals. We are here to work to build your industries, infrastructure and homes. You must not forget — we are workers and not slaves. The least you can do is to accord us some respect and treat us decently as human beings. Workers from Westlite Dormitory — Jalan Tukang, Singapore
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