Singapore: Repurposing landscapes for COVID-19
Indoors, and with media as the predominant lens into the world outside, it is easy to assume that the city has come to a standstill thanks to hauntingly empty images of typically crowded public spaces shared via news networks and social media. No doubt, the highly infectious nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the reduction of gatherings in such spaces; however it is not that the city has stopped operating but rather that the activity has been concentrated in other areas hidden from plain sight, both through physically distancing and regulated digital media to maintain patient confidentiality.
In some countries that includes (temporary and permanent) hospitals, clinics, supermarkets and naturally homes. And in Singapore it has also come to comprise a lot more; the country has resorted to progressively repurposing structures for alternative uses beyond their intended design. Spread out across the island, these stopgap measures demonstrate the collective effort of the entire nation in containing the virus.
Reflexive responses: Chalets, Outdoor education campus, University hostels
Following the initial cases of COVID-19 in Singapore, the immediate response was to establish designated Government Quarantine Facilities (GQFs) to isolate those who had been identified as suspected cases due to recent contact with confirmed cases. Building on past experiences with epidemics such as SARS and H1N1, these GQFs started off with chalets before expanding to include university student hostels and the Outward Bound campus on Pulau Ubin, an offshore island.
Increasing isolation capacity: Hotels
As more countries imposed travel restrictions, airlines reduced flights and educational institutions shifted to online learning, overseas-based Singaporean students were encouraged and advised to come back as soon as possible. Initially, returnees were required to observe the 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN), a policy that had already been implemented to buttress the former quarantine orders. But in a matter of days, the increase in new cases warranted heightened measures. Taking advantage of the capacity of empty rooms, back of house facilities and crews of experienced service staff of hard-hit hotels, select tourist accommodations became the makeshift liminal spaces for returnees to safely segregate themselves from the rest of society while ensuring that they were sufficiently provided for. With the need to continue with online learning and remote work across geographical boundaries, these hotels became a mishmash of confined spaces operating at different time zones and with varying functions condensed into one; all while hotel staff worked to cater to the needs of their new clientele and to respond to evolving safety requirements at GMT +8.
Re-housing migrant workers: Apartments, Carparks, Cruise ships, Floating hotels, Hotels, Hostels, Military camps, Outdoor education campus, Primary school, Public housing blocks, Sports halls
Previously praised for its efficient emergency coordination to make the aforementioned facilities available for quarantine, the virus abruptly destabilised the situation in Singapore as a sharp increase in daily new cases was observed within the migrant workers community. In light of the highly infectious COVID-19, the known but conveniently forgotten high-density and cramped migrant worker dormitories resurfaced as systemic cracks of negligence and insufficient will. Unlike others who have the luxury of sheltering-in-place knowing full well that their homes were the safest place to be, the living quarters of these migrant workers instead posed a potential threat to their health and well-being.
Consequently, the state has had to source for alternative accommodation for uninfected migrant workers in addition to active testing and quarantines of those infected. This growing list of deployed structures include military camps, multi-storey parking structures and void decks at public housing construction sites, an exhibition centre, floating hotels, a primary school, an outdoor education campus, a student hostel, a sports hall, hotels, public housing blocks, cruise ships and previously decommissioned apartment compounds. While it is unlikely that such living arrangements would remain viable in the long run (and the migrant worker community should surely be promised improved permanent accommodation), the unprecedented repurposing of these buildings would hopefully serve as a continued advocacy for the possibility for better housing conditions post-pandemic.
Reinforcing medical facilities: Chalets, Exhibition centres, Expo convention centres, Military camps, Racecourse, Recreation centres, Port terminal, Workers’ dormitories
On the medical front, the sharp rise in new cases has also challenged the limited beds and space at dedicated hospitals and medical facilities. Prioritising more severe cases at hospitals, exhibition centres and expo convention halls made vacant by cancelled large-scale events have been converted into Community Care Facilities (CCFs) to nurse COVID-19 patients with lower risk factors or mild symptoms. At the same time, other chalets, military camps, racecourse facilities, recreation centres and emptied workers’ dormitories have taken on supporting functions as Community Recovery Facilities (CRFs) for asymptomatic cases as well as Swab and Dorm Isolation Facilities (SIFs and DIFs). Their decentralised locations and expansive spaces proving to aptly fit the medical and public health needs to respond to the widespread yet spatially sensitive nature of the virus.
Digital footprints — Instant messaging groups, Chatbots, Contact tracing, Crowd level map and websites
Aside from the increase in activity at these newly re-commissioned front lines, this pandemic has been markedly different from past outbreaks with a significant accompanying shift to digital means to serve as virtual front lines to the increasingly technologically savvy population. Taking advantage of the pervasiveness of instant messaging applications, the local government has created whatsapp and telegram groups to disseminate information quickly not only to people in the country but also to Singaporeans and permanent residents scattered across the globe. Coupled with chatbots, these lines of communication have been essential in keeping homebound citizens updated with travel advisories and new quarantine policies prior to their arrival and, at times, have also been co-opted by beneficiaries to provide tips and insights to other returnees.
Launched in mid-March, TraceTogether, a contact tracing phone application also utilises Bluetooth to engage the public in the state’s efforts to collect data on recent encounters. Maps with live information on the crowd levels of shopping malls and parks encourage people to make informed and responsible decisions before heading out to grab essential items and food or to exercise. Unlike instant messaging government communication which clearly demonstrates the extrapolation of frontline response to the digital realm with its daily pings, TraceTogether and crowd level maps represent the digital shadows of what remains of our reduced physical activity.
Repurposing landscapes
For many, the current COVID-19 life abounds with online zoom meetings, classes, meals, workouts and the occasional venture out of our homes. But as much as current generations hold the title for being the most digitally inclined and technologically savvy yet, the bemoaning for the end of the circuit breaker (Singapore’s affectionate euphemism for a partial lockdown) is a demonstration of the undeniable need for physical presence. Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.
Yet for the remaining weeks (or months) till this fight is over, let us look at the absence of mundane everyday activity, not merely reminded of what we cannot yet do but of the overload of emergency response at the frontlines that enable it. In the case of Singapore, that means extending our hearts and sentiments to the medical and support personnel, patients and quarantined, who battle at the hospitals, airport, carparks, chalets, cruise ships, exhibition centres, floating hotels, hostels, hotels, housing blocks, military camps, outdoor education campuses, port terminals, primary schools, racecourse, recreation centres and sports halls; under the guises of evolving policies and acronyms.
Bibliography
Tan, Sumiko. “A City at a Standstill: Singapore like You’ve Never Seen Before.” The Straits Times. May 15, 2020. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/a-city-at-a-standstill.
“Woodlands Health Campus Investigates Unauthorised Filming of Covid-19 Patients in Mass Exercise at Singapore Expo Read More at Https://Www.todayonline.com/Singapore/Woodlands-Health-Campus-Investigates-Unauthorised-Filming-Covid-19-Patients-Mass-Exercise.” Today. May 18, 2020. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/woodlands-health-campus-investigates-unauthorised-filming-covid-19-patients-mass-exercise.
