Potentially 'long road ahead' for Wuhan virus: Gan

THERE could be a long road ahead as the Wuhan coronavirus situation unfolds, and Singapore is preparing for various scenarios, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong in Parliament on Monday.

First, if there is community spread in Chinese cities beyond Wuhan, or in other countries, Singapore may need to roll out additional measures to prevent importation and contain the virus.

Secondly, though there is no evidence of local community transmission to date, Singapore must be ready for this possibility.

"The key to managing this is quick detection and limiting further spread, which calls on social responsibility from all of us," said Mr Gan. If an infected person wears a mask to protect others, promptly sees a doctor, and gets triaged for testing, the risk of further spread could be greatly reduced.

But if community spread becomes very extensive, Singapore will need to consider measures such as cancelling mass gatherings, suspending schools, paring down non-essential care services and introducing further infection control and monitoring measures.

Third, the virus could mutate to become more infectious. "This is the known unknown, and we have to assess what best to do, depending on how the virus mutates," said Mr Gan, noting that it may also become less infectious or less severe.

On the healthcare front, the government has been stepping up preparations for these scenarios by increasing its isolation bed capacity by around 100 in the last two weeks and increasing its testing capacity.

As part of a whole-of-Singapore response, as well as international cooperation efforts, Singapore will put together an assistance package to help communities in China severely affected by the novel coronavirus, added Mr Gan. More details will be provided later.