A catchy rap that teaches people about how to stay safe amidst a virus outbreak in Singapore - sounds familiar, right?
No, we're not talking about Gurmit Singh in his iconic SAR-vivor rap; this time, it's Bye Bye Virus, created to teach students how to stay safe during the current coronavirus situation by none other than Singapore's Ministry of Education (MOE).
But before we get into that, here's a quick throwback to the SARS rap, if you want to take a trip down memory lane:
https://vimeo.com/268362161
He might be back.
Part of lesson package for schools
Bye Bye Virus is part of MOE's "Together We Keep Singapore Strong" lesson package, given to all primary schools, secondary schools, and junior colleges in the country.
The lesson package, which takes one hour to finish, aims to help students recognise how Covid-19 has affected them and the community and what actions have been taken to address the virus situation.
Other important lessons include teaching students to recognise that they can play a part by practising good hygiene, and empowering them to identify current community needs and take action to help support the community.
In addition to the rap, the campaign also includes posters, stickers and a team of virus-fighting superheroes.
The campaign ends with a call-to-action for the students, encouraging them to share their knowledge with their parents and others in their community.
How to Bye Bye Virus
Bye Bye Virus is not only a song, but also a dance, and includes moves popular amongst teenagers, such as the "woah".
We break down the steps for you below:
Step one: Move your hands in circles to the left and the right.
Gif via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
Step two: Roll your hands and then do the milly rock (here's a link to a tutorial if you, like us, aren't in with the times enough to know what that is).
Gif via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
Step three: Hold up your hands and wave them in front of your face.
Gif via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
Step four: Okay this one's easy; point forward and then to the ground.
Gif via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
Step five: Point to the camera, pretend to put on a mask, and then put your hand on your forehead like you're sick.
Gif via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
Step six: Point to the left and the right, then twirl your fingers on both sides of your head.
Gif via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
Step seven: Pretend to throw a ball up in the air and hit the woah.
Gif via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
Step eight: Gesture in a "come on" manner and then do the nae nae.
Gif via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
Here's a gif of Minister of Education Ong Ye Kung learning the Bye Bye Virus dance with a class of Primary 6 students at First Toa Payoh Primary School:
Gif by Jane Zhang.
Ong was at First Toa Payoh Primary School to launch a Total Defence Day campaign Friday, Feb. 14.
Ong spoke to the students about the important pillars for this year’s Total Defence Day, in light of the virus: social defence through practising good personal and community hygiene; civil, through important services such as ambulances sending people to the hospital; and psychological, by showing support to doctors and nurses by writing letters.
“When you keep yourself healthy, you keep people around you healthy. When you don’t snatch toilet paper, don’t snatch canned food from the supermarket, other people who need it have it! These are all social defence”, said Ong.
The campaign's goal is to rally students against the coronavirus through practising good personal hygiene and social responsibility.
The campaigns main objectives are to:
- Develop in students sustained habits of personal hygiene
- Help them practise social responsibility
- Build up personal and national resilience
- And rally students to be part of a movement for social cohesion, to stay positive, and keep Singapore strong
The mascots
The campaign also introduced five superheroes, called the “Soaper 5”, which are each connected to a personal hygiene habit.
Super Soaper Soffy encourages students to wash their hands with soap.
Image via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
Hands Down Hanna reminds them not to touch their face.
Image via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
Mask Up Mei Mei says to wear a mask if they’re unwell.
Image via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
Virus Screener Varun pushes them to see a doctor if they’re unwell.
Image via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
And Wipe Up Wilson calls for them to wipe down surfaces so that they’ll be clean for the next person.
Image via YouTube / MOE Singapore.
Check out the full video for the Bye Bye Virus song yourself here:
Top image via Youtube / MOE Singapore.