Weekly tests a must for economy to reopen, says think tank

 

The use of breathalysers for weekly tests at workplaces and schools to monitor the situation can lead to a quick reopening of the economy. (Singapore’s MTI pic)

PETALING JAYA: Weekly Covid-19 tests at workplaces and schools should be the “gold standard” for proper monitoring of the pandemic, says the Center for Market Education (CME).

Its CEO Carmelo Ferlito called for early detection aimed at minimising mortality, adding that breathalysers should also be considered.

Such breathalysers have been approved for use in Singapore since May.

While the government’s new benchmarks for the national recovery plan were a step in the right direction, CME believed that a reopening strategy can be accelerated if it was accompanied by a comprehensive support plan.

“A re-opening strategy cannot be based only on vaccination targets; such a strategy could backfire. In fact, we now know that vaccinated people can both be infected and infect others, and may be subject to a more relaxed compliance of SOPs because of a feeling of safety,” he said.

Felito said the main issue was not the speed in reopening the economy, but the backup plan to allow more sectors to operate safely.

By avoiding lockdowns, he said, resources could be saved for targeted investments in strengthening the healthcare system – something that has been missing in the country’s anti-Covid strategy so far.

He added that research on adequate pharmacological protocol should also be incentivised.

CME urged the government to reflect on its policy of reopening the economy and social life only for fully-vaccinated people, calling it “discriminatory.”

“In fact, there are people that for health or personal reasons cannot take the vaccine. We cannot keep them locked in the house forever.

“In a nutshell, we want a rapid return to normalcy whereby vaccination is one of the factors kept into account, together with a sound plan to avoid the programme from backfiring.” -FMT