She is Argentinian and lives in the country that has best experienced the pandemic in the world: why do they only have “16 cases a day”

Half a century back Singapore it was considered an island in Southeast Asia with very few natural resources that did not promise a great future. After being devastated by World War II, it successfully reversed its economy through its free market policies and skilled labor force and went from being a poor country to being a “The Pearl of Asia”. Today, international rankings place it not only as the fourth richest country in the world, but also the best to get through the pandemic.

And it is precisely in this destination, that It is about a 35 hour flight from Argentina on two scales, where Ani Di Stefano (43) and his partner decided to start from scratch a year and a half ago.

Five months passed before Singapore detected, on January 23, 2020, the first case of COVID-19, which was that of a person from Wuhan, the region of origin of the virus. “The government acted quickly, imposed travel restrictions on China, quarantined those arriving from there and implemented an effective contact tracing operation, preventing the rapid spread of the disease.», Ani clarified to ,

In addition to health checks at airports, the government carried out extensive testing of each suspected case, traced anyone who had come into contact with a confirmed case, and confined those who showed no symptoms at home and in health centers. state isolation those who showed no symptoms. . infected.

“The best thing they did to manage the pandemic well was create an app where you need to log in with a QR code to every place you go, even when you take a taxi, so your entire trip is recorded when you leave home, ”Ani explained.

“If a person tests positive, they locate where that person has been and they contact everyone who was in the same place and send them to isolate their homes. If you start with symptoms, they will pick you up and take you with what you are wearing. They are responsible for doing all the checks and once you are healed they will take you home, ”said the woman, who claimed that none of those who were there reported ill-treatment.

Singapore is a very small but highly urbanized country full of skyscrapers. Located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, it is bordered to the north by Malaysia and to the south by Indonesia. With nearly 6 million inhabitants, it is currently one of the main financial centers in the world and the place that produces the most millionaires. “There are no poor people or villages here. The construction workers are lower class and the majority are Hindus, Malays, Filipinos and Cambodians, who live in dormitories on the outskirts of town, ”Ani said.

And it was precisely in this group of workers that a massive contagion occurred in mid-April 2020, which is why the country had to take more drastic measures to prevent the spread of the virus. This also coincided with the arrival of some 500 people who were in other countries and unwittingly brought the disease with them.

“The quarantine that was implemented here was not as strict as that in Argentina. We were locked up from the end of April to the beginning of June. People were able to move around freely in their area of ​​residence and they did not need a permit. There weren’t even any security forces controlling because people were controlling each other, ”Ani said, speaking of Singaporeans’ respect, politeness and obedience.

Perhaps the explanation is that the government of this country has a habit of banning unwanted behavior of its citizens and enforcing every ban with economic sanctions. “If they hooked you up while shopping at a supermarket that was not in your area, for example, they would fine you $ 2,000 and automatically kick the foreigners out. “, illustrated the woman. However, the most extreme sentences could be up to $ 7,000 or six months in prison.

Bars and restaurants only reopened in mid-June and it was not until November 6 that the Chinese were able to set foot in Singapore again., while his epidemiological situation had already stabilized. “When we went to phase 2, the first thing they did was open the schools. They also allowed non-essential businesses and many people signed up to work as city controllers, taking pictures of people breaking the rules, informing authorities, ”said Ani, a little surprised by the actions of These persons.

Since the start of the pandemic Singapore accumulates 60 thousand cases and 30 deaths, which represents 0.3 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. It is one of the lowest rates in the world, similar to that of New Zealand, another model country. Only 0.05% of those infected die, compared to the global average of 3%.

“Yesterday we had 16 cases and for us that number was a bit higher than the average we had. When I talk to my family, who live in Rosario, they cannot believe it because they tell me that there, the infected have reached 30 thousand days. It’s crazy, something incredible “Ani emphasized by comparing the two realities.

The contagion curve continues to decline and it has remained almost zero since early October. “We didn’t have a second wave and now we are going through phase 3, leading a practically normal life. We can attend cultural and sporting events, always wearing a chin strap and respecting the capacity provided in each place. In fact, ATP in Singapore was held where all participants were also required to have a RAP, ”he said.

At weddings, for example, up to 250 people can attend indoors but it is necessary to divide the guests into groups of 20: “There are people who check that this is so because it is forbidden to ” interact with other bubbles and everyone respects him, no one complains ”.

Comparing social responsibility in Singapore to keep cases virtually unnoticeable, Ani recalled what happened in Argentina over the summer: “I remember seeing pictures of my friends and family on the networks and couldn’t understand what was going on, they looked very relaxed and now they are paying the consequences for this behavior“.

If today Ani wants to go to Argentina to see her parents, she has to ask permission from the government. “We have to send them a letter indicating the route and the days we are going to be out of the country and they are the ones who have to authorize me to be able to return. They don’t prevent me from leaving, but they prevent me from coming back. Those coming from abroad must be quarantined for 14 days in a hotel, which costs $ 2,000 and is paid by each. “explained to the woman the current measures to discourage tourism. And he added: “It has helped control the pandemic because in much of the world the health issue started with the entry of different strains and because they weren’t very picky about controlling them. quarantines. “

In fact, he said that it is only on May 26 that they will authorize “bubble flights” with Hong Kong, which is experiencing an epidemiological situation similar to that of Singapore.. “They announced it last week and within two days the tickets were sold out. It’s a pilot test and we hope it works, ”remarked Ani, who has not left the Asian island since January 2, 2020, when he arrived from Argentina where he had gone to spend the holidays. .

Regarding the immunization plan, Singapore has already fully immunized health workers and people over 60 years of age. “Now they have opened registration for over 45s. They apply the Pzifer and the Modern. And for foreigners, vaccines are also free ”, admitted Ani, who assured that she and her partner will be vaccinated “even if a lot of things do not change our lives because here there is little circulation of the virus”.

“We are in a privileged situation compared to the world. What motivates me the most is that I will be able to start traveling because in order for them to allow you to return to Singapore you have to take both doses. “Underlined this Argentina based in Southeast Asia, who plans to stay in this country until the end of the employment contract of his partner.

“We are not going to stay and live forever, I don’t see myself having a family here, although it is a spectacular place where there is no theft, inflation and you don’t worry because you can’t afford to make ends meet “, he clarified. However, he admitted that he would not like to relocate to Argentina again: “I will only do it to visit family”.

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