Out of the box Take risk and make progress
Why did Christopher Columbus sail west?

He wanted to find a new route to China and India. He knew that the world is round and he was confident that he could reach the destination using a new route. That was how he discovered America.

Was it risky for Columbus? Sure it was. He was exploring into the unknown. He did not know what lies ahead.  However, he was confident about his ability to deal with the unexpected. He was willing to take the risk for the reward.

What about Singapore's approach of dealing with the covid pandemic?  

Our leaders and the majority of the people wanted to play safe and implement the circuit breaker until the virus is totally eradicated. I find this approach to be unwise. (I shall not call it insane, OK?)

Here is my reason. There is no way of eradicating the virus, when it is rampant around the world. We cannot continue to close our borders. Our economy, businesses and livelihoods will die. Certainly!

What would happen if we open the borders and relax the movement restrictions? 

Sure, more people will be infected. More people will need hospital care. Some will die.

How many?

Here is my answer - We do not know, but we need the courage to explore into the unknown. 

I have observed that the virus is mild and does not cause as much harm in Singapore as it does in other countries. I believe that our warm, humid climate makes the virus mild. 

I believe that we can, and we should take the risk. We will get more people infected, but it will not cause much harm, as the virus is mild. We do not need to be alarmed, if more people are hospitalized. Most of them are likely to survive. 

I am not being callous towards the possibility that it will cause some deaths to people. I believe that most of the vulnerable people will take precautions to avoid the risk. They are not stupid. 

I know that, in spite of the precautions, some people will catch the virus and it will be fatal. (I might be that person). But there are many ways for people to die, such as road accidents or being the victim of a crime. 

It is a question of the number of people that are affected.

If a large number of people die from covid due to the relaxation, we can reintroduce the restrictions. At that time, we have some valuable data to justify our action.

However, it may happen that TKL is right and the risk is manageable and not many people will be harmed by the virus in Singapore. 

I will ask Columbus to speak to the leaders and people in Singapore, and talk about the need to take risk and explore into the unknown. I have sent a request by email to him and will wait for his reply.

Tan Kin Lian

 

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