Every citizen must play his part, no matter how small, to defeat the virus

SINGAPORE is now into the third week since the country returned to Phase 2 of the economy's reopening on May 8, with tightened rules in place for social gatherings, reduced capacities at certain venues and events, among other measures. The government later implemented a four-week Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) period with even tougher curbs, to run from May 16 to June 13, with group sizes down to just two people and work-from-home (WFH) to be the default arrangement for companies wherever possible.

These are extremely painful times for many businesses, especially the food and beverage (F&B) establishments that have been hit by a second ban on dining-in. Some of them, armed with the experience from last year's eight-week-long circuit breaker, have managed to switch to delivery and takeaway options quickly, but not everyone will survive and some will eventually call it quits. Many workers will end up losing their jobs.

Ask any restaurant or cafe manager out there and they would surely prefer to have patrons dining in, where the average spend per person can be much higher. Retailers in the malls too are also hit hard by the reduced footfall as more people stay away from crowded and indoor places. Many of these shops have little choice but to stay open and earn whatever they can, just to pay rent and salaries.