Living with the virus: Singapore’s 2021 endemic strategy in the COVID-19 pandemic

• Main Authors: TAN, Chin Tiong, LIM, Tow Keang, LIM, Wee-Kiat
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2022
• Subjects: Pandemic; crisis communication; public health services; stakeholder relations; leadership; decision making; Leadership Studies; Public Health; Strategic Management Policy
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cases_coll_all/428; https://smu.sharepoint.com/sites/admin/CMP/cases/SMU-22-BATCH%20%5BPDF-Pic%5D/SMU-22-0019%20%5BCOVID-19%20Endemic%5D/SMU-22-0019%20%5BCOVID-19%20Endemic%5D.pdf?CT=1663749667681&OR=ItemsView
• Institution: Singapore Management University

On September 24, 2021, the Singapore Multi-Ministry Task Force (MTF) that spearheaded the national COVID-19 pandemic response decided to act more decisively to ensure that its endemic strategy would not be derailed by the infections which had been escalating since late August. In the weeks that followed, the MTF tightened measures on social interaction, encouraged work-from-home as the default mode of working and simplified its testing and isolation protocols. The third vaccination (booster shot) programme was also quickly rolled out. The public had become discontented due to the rising infections and deaths of the elderly, as well as the ever-changing restrictions, protocols, and proclaimed phases that had been introduced since April 2021. There also existed an issue of perceived discrimination that arose from the segmented access according to vaccination status. As a public health analyst, David Chong had been assessing Singapore’s COVID-19 endemic strategy – to ascertain the areas that Singapore had done well, as well as those they could do better. How should Chong advise other countries to plan an endemic strategy? This national crisis management case is suitable for courses on Public Health and Crisis Leadership that are targeted at undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive levels. The case addresses three key learning objectives that teach students to: (1) manage crisis effectively; (2) optimise decision making in a crisis; and (3) develop a long-term endemic strategy.