Tech tips to beat COVID19 blues – part 2

At a loss for what to do while on community circuit breaker? Here are some digital resources to help you find your way in these isolating times.

With the “circuit breaker” social distancing measures extended till 1 June, most of us outside of essential services face an additional month of being confined to our homes.

Fortunately, technology has made this period of isolation a lot more bearable. Beyond entertainment, technology has helped shape the way we respond to the crisis, as evidenced by applications like TraceTogether and digital resources like MaskGoWhere.

In this second instalment of tech tips, we have prepared a list of digital resources that the Singapore government and its agencies have developed in response to this global pandemic.

1. Avoiding the crowds

While many shops have been closed for the time being, places that provide essential services—like supermarkets or the post office—remain open. When visiting these places, visitors are advised to observe social distancing and avoid large crowds whenever possible. To check the crowd levels at a particular mall, supermarket or post office in Singapore, you can use Space Out.

The website not only displays crowd levels but also shows you which locations are open. Clicking on a location will also let you view the recent trend of crowd levels at different times of the day so that you can plan your trip to avoid the crowd (and queues).

2. When feeling unwell

Are you feeling unwell or showing flu-like symptoms? Don’t panic. While COVID-19 may share symptoms with the common cold—fever, runny nose—they are not entirely the same. Instead of rushing to the hospital, use the  COVID-19 symptom checker first to receive a recommendation so that you can make an informed decision.

If you are advised to visit a doctor, remain calm. In view of the coronavirus crisis, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has activated over 900 general practitioner clinics nationwide, such as Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs), to care for patients with respiratory symptoms and illnesses. To locate your nearest PHPCs, visit Flu Go Where. By entering your street name or postal code (or clinic name for your preferred clinic), the website will return a list of PHPCs near you, along with their contact details.

3. Can’t go out? Then go digital!

It’s hard to complain that there is nothing to do at home when there is a giant treasure trove of options available on the internet. From online shopping to virtual museums and even yoga classes, life can still go on digitally in your living room.

To access a curated list of these resources, simply visit the We Go Digital page, a project that is part of the Stay Healthy, Go Digital campaign launched by the Infocomm Media Development Authority. On the website, you can find guides on how to buy online, pay online, learn online, and play online, so sit tight because there is going to be a lot of content to get through!

4. A helping hand for companies

Whether it is implementing work-from-home policies or making sure the business stays in the black, COVID-19 has brought about enormous business challenges. For certain companies, stopping operations on the ground may just not be possible.

Companies that wish to apply for a time-limited exemption from the circuit breaker measures can apply at GoBusiness COVID. Exempted businesses can also go to the website to request additional manpower to meet their demands during this period, too. Besides that, the portal also contains useful information regarding workplace safety and  government assistance for businesses.

5. Staying resilient in the face of crisis

Despite all the efforts in place, the pandemic has plunged the global economy into a recession. This means that many businesses are cutting costs, staff are getting retrenched, and jobs are increasingly hard to come by. To help individuals tide through these difficult times, the Singapore government has announced three supplementary budgets amounting to almost S$60 billion.

Families in need of assistance can access the COVID-19 guide in their Moments of Life app and apply for COVID-19 government support programmes within the app itself. This in-app guide also provides important resources such as health advisories and the latest COVID-19 statistics in Singapore to keep you up to date, all in one place.

For jobseekers hoping to turn their situation around, the Ministry of Manpower, together with Workforce Singapore and various other government agencies, have also launched the SGUnited Jobs Initiative and Traineeships Programme. Pledging to create 10,000 jobs over the next year, the SGUnited effort aims to help affected job seekers, workers and businesses.