Singapore is well and truly in the midst of a battle against Covid-19, as new measures announced on Apr. 3 illustrated.
It's no surprise then that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has been roped in to aid the nation's efforts.
In fact, since Jan. 28, more than 1,300 SAF and Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) personnel have been involved in contact tracing and compliance checks on those serving Stay-Home Notices (SHN).
Collectively, they make up to 2,000 calls a day.
Contact tracing and serving quarantine orders
Speaking to Mothership, Lance Corporal Muhammad Audi Ahmad, 22, a full-time national serviceman (NSF) described how he works with contract tracers to call individuals who have been identified as having close contact with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 cases.
"Based on the instructions given to me, I will call them to either (notify the individual that they have been issued) a quarantine order, or I will check on their health."
Contact tracers, who in this case are uniformed officers, defence executive officers, and military experts, receive a map of the patient's whereabouts from two days before the onset of symptoms till when they are admitted to the hospital.
They then draw up a list of close contacts of the patients and are supported by callers such as Audi.
"Some were quite shocked," he said of those contacted, "But the ones I've encountered were quite happy to leave work immediately."
Lance Corporal Muhammad Audi Ahmad. Image courtesy of MINDEF
"Our supervisor actually mentioned to [my department] that there was this contact tracing opportunity," said Tiffany Chua, a 25-year-old protocol officer from MINDEF.
She is one of four defence executive officers from her department to volunteer to take part in the SAF's contact tracing efforts as a contact tracer.
"We thought it was very meaningful work and we wanted to play a part in helping the nation's efforts so we stepped forward."
Chua was trained on the job at the Ministry of Health before arriving at Mandai Hill Camp where the 6th Singapore Division is coordinating the operation.
Her role involves talking to Covid-19 patients and filling out the gaps in their whereabouts.
"For example, if a person were to say he took Grab from one place to another from his home to a clinic, but the duration he put was one and a half hours, so we would like sort of question that."
This, she said, meant asking for exact timings and what the patient was doing before and after an event — "to ensure we are able to trace correctly all the places he has been to and who he has met."
Chua also assesses whether contacts of a patient need to be placed on a quarantine order. This includes considering factors such as:
- How close the contact with the Covid-19 patient was
- How long they spent together
- The nature of the activity
According to Audi, those called aren't always agreeable:
"Some people try to rationalise their opinion, saying 'I shouldn't get quarantined' and stuff like that. We try our best to explain why the decision was made as per MOH guidelines, and slowly they will comply accordingly."
Chua said that a day's worth of work usually entails calling all the contacts of one Covid-19 patient together with her team of callers — though depending on how many confirmed cases there are in a day, that number may rise.
"Every shift is a 12-hour shift, working from nine to nine every day," she said.
Checking on those serving SHN
22-year-old NSF Third Sergeant Reuben George Pharez was trained as an armoured engineer, but these days he's involved in conducting compliance checks on those who have been served SHNs.
This involves working in teams of six to call individuals who have been unresponsive to text messages sent by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
"We collect the responses and find out the reason behind why they responded late or why they failed to respond," he said.
"Some of [the reasons are that] they were sleeping, they didn't check their phones, they were busy cooking."
As the leader of the team, Pharez then sends these responses back to ICA.
According to the NSF, while the operation first saw five-hour shifts with 50 to 100 calls a day, an increase in workload has seen his team making over 200 calls a day during nine-hour shifts.
One of those working in Pharez's team is SAF Volunteer 1 (SV1) Lim Li Ly, a 23-year-old student from the National University of Singapore who is an auxiliary security trooper with the SAF Volunteer Corps (SAFVC).
"The reason why I wanted to be part of this operation is because it reminds me of why I joined the SAFVC in the first place — which is to serve and to protect my community."
Third Sergeant Reuben George Pharez (L) and SAF Volunteer 1 (SV1) Lim Ly Li (R) Image courtesy of MINDEF
Lim, who is in the third year of her accounting degree, juggles between her university work and activities while volunteering two days a week with the SAF.
"Because of this Covid-19 situation, actually, I feel there's a greater sense of duty for me to contribute back to my community," she explained.
Pharez and Lim say they will usually attempt to call individuals up to five times before they are deemed uncontactable. On average, this happens for two out of every 10 people they call.
Once in contact with a person on a SHN, web applications are used to determine that individual's location.
Some, said Pharez, can be uncooperative.
"They are maybe agitated that we call so many times," he elaborated.
"If I were to call the landline, they (think we can) assume that they are at home. However, some of them, their landlines can get diverted to their handphones. So it's mandatory for us to ask if they are at home."
However, both Pharez and Lim said that most of the individuals they call express gratitude.
"I get really motivated when members of the public actually appreciate our effort and thank us for the calls," said Lim.
"Even though it's a small gesture, but I feel that it makes a very big impact on myself."
"They mention things like 'Don't worry, I'll be at home. I won't go anywhere.' You know?" recalled Pharez.
"They all are also putting in their part to fight this virus."
A critical juncture
Brigadier-General Lee Yi-Jin. Image by Andrew Koay
Addressing the media on Apr. 3, Commander 6th Singapore Division Brigadier-General Lee Yi-Jin, also expressed his gratitude to the SAF personnel who are part of the operations.
"They've been working day and night, seven days a week and I must say that I am very proud of the efforts we put in as far."
And while he admitted that the fight was "far from over", Lee was optimistic after seeing the adaptability and focus of his charges.
"That ultimately gives me the biggest confidence and conviction that we're going to get through this together."
Lee also opined that Singapore was at a "critical juncture" in its fight against the virus.
"When MOH asked us for our support, we were very clear that this is something that we have to do, step up and step forward.
The SAF is always ready to do whatever it takes to defend our families, and our loved ones and of course to protect our way of life as well."
Stories of Us is a series about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Be it breaking away from conventions, pursuing an atypical passion, or making the world a better place in their own small way, these stories remind us both of our individual uniqueness and our collective humanity.
Top image courtesy of MINDEF