A DORSCON Orange?? Valentine's Day Love Letter

Dear fellow Singaporeans,

Today is the 14th of February. Also known as Valentine's Day, it is the day where lovers of all ages spend time romancing one another. This is the day where restaurants are fully-booked, where bouquets of flowers fly off the florists shelves, and where shopping for last minute gifts for your significant other is the norm.

Except that it isn't. Not by a far stretch.

You see, this year's Valentine's Day coincides with one of the biggest health scare crisis to hit Singapore. Covid-19 aka the Wuhan Coronavirus has overshadowed virtually all aspects of life here.

Just tune into any news channel—The Straits Times, Channel News Asia, New York Times, BBC, or South China Morning Post—and you'll be hit by a panoply of Covid-19 related news and updates.

The Government has declared Singapore to be DORSCON (Disease Outbreak Response System Condition) Orange, which means that the "disease is severe and spreads easily from person to person, but disease has not spread widely in Singapore is being contained (eg SARS experience in Singapore)."

It isn't by any means catastrophic (we've yet to experience any Covid-19 deaths in Singapore), but it does require us to observe greater hygiene and observe greater surveillance in our day-to-day activities. This includes thermal scanning and declarations of recent visits to China to be made. Surgical masks, N95 masks, and sanitizers are also now found in many offices, training centres, schools, and other public establishments.

With so much going on, love may be the last thing on our minds.

The restaurants and food courts are empty. Malls have experienced a significant drop in their footfall. Attractions are queue-free. Cinemas are deserted. Traffic is too uncomfortably smooth. Orchard Road is muted. Changi Airport is quiet (and some may even say desolate).

With tourist arrivals drastically dropping—with a couple of countries issuing travel advisories for Singapore (can you believe that we're on the receiving end this time around?)—our shops, restaurants, cinemas, spas, attractions and malls are getting hit big time.

While I do enjoy peace and tranquility, the deathly silence is unnerving. The stillness is deafening. The emptiness is heart-breaking.

It isn't natural. It isn't business-as-usual. It isn't the Singapore we know. And it isn't right.

Now I know that Valentine's Day may not be a big deal for us. But for restaurants, retail outlets, spas, and hotels, it definitely is an important day to generate income.

While we certainly shouldn't throw caution to the winds, we shouldn't just lock ourselves up at home. Most of the 50 or so individuals with the disease can be traced to a couple of clusters. And 15 have already recovered and are virus-free.

Plus the real health impact of the coronavirus is much smaller (in perspective) than regular maladies like the common flu, diabetes, strokes, kidney failure, cancer, and other health challenges.

Perhaps with the necessary precaution and care, we can still live life normally.

Let us continue courting one another. Let us celebrate the milestones in our relationships with our better halves. Let us wine and dine a little. Let us shop and buy each other gifts. Let us watch a movie—romantic or otherwise. Let us let our hair down and scream in a high-thrill ride. Let us enjoy a relaxing massage.

Let us splurge a little, at least during this one day and one night, so as to support our fellow Singaporeans and residents in their time of need.

(And if you're unwell, do wear a mask if you really need to be out. Or better yet, stay at home, rest, and depend on your loved ones to feed you. At least for now, until the Covid-19 situation goes back to DORSCON Green ??.)

With lots of love!

Walter is the founder and editor of Cooler Insights—a critically thinking content marketing, social media marketing and brand storytelling agency. Fuel your business with the latest insights in digital and content marketing, public relations and personal branding.