More deaths to come if we flout CB measures, says NCID clinical director

There will be more deaths in Singapore if people continue to defy the circuit breaker measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The warning from Dr Shawn Vasoo, the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) clinical director, came on Monday (Apr 13) as authorities confirmed the ninth death in Singapore linked to the virus.

The Ministry of Health also announced a record 386 new cases on Monday, bringing the total in the country to 2,918.

The circuit breaker measures were put in place by the government to prevent the spread of the virus among the community. But over the last week, plenty of Singaporeans have continued to ignore the measures, with more than 400 fines issued for breaching the circuit breaker rules.

Dr Vasoo said the attitude displayed has been “lackadaisical” and called for those who have been flouting the rules to take the situation more seriously.

“More people are going to die, and unfortunately this includes more Singaporeans too, if they do not adhere to the circuit breaker,” he said, according to media reports.

“Please exercise social and moral responsibility… this is not the time to hang out and congregate with others.”

Dr Vasso also highlighted that it was crucial each individual knows how to use reusable masks properly so there will be “some basic protection” for themselves. For example, they have to clean and dry the mask when it gets moist, as its filtration efficacy drops in that condition. They also have to know how to take it off properly without contaminating their own hands.