Does music help spread Covid-19?
JUNE 20  So in good news, Singapore is loosening the restrictions it imposed in May following a spike in locally transmitted Covid-19 cases. Almost a month ago, restaurants and bars were closed to the public and public gatherings were limited to two people and work from home was made the default option. But as cases have once again decreased with deaths remaining extremely low and with a largely successful vaccine drive underway, the government has decided to reopen  but only very gradually. From June 21, restaurants will be able to re-open for dine-in customers but only tables of two will be permitted. Gyms will once again be able to reopen but wedding receptions and other large scale gatherings will remain restricted. While its great to see moves towards reopening, the truth is we are still a long way from normality. And this limbo has now gone on for a very long time. We are now well over a year into this pandemic. The problem I think is partial restrictions are sometimes harder to comprehend than full lockdowns. Meanwhile, friends can meet at home  as up to five visitors a day are permitted but that same group cant go out for a meal or even a walk together. Its hard to keep it all straight. I think many restaurants/food and beverage businesses in general face a genuine dilemma. If they reopen under these conditions, they will incur the same costs as usual  you need as many waiters and kitchen staff as before but your capacity to earn money with reduced opening hours and no groups is severely diminished. Basically its hard for businesses not to struggle while the government has offered support to affected businesses. In the long term, this doesnt compensate for lost spending. The situation is similar for many retail shops and the question remains: For how long will these restrictions remain and on what basis will they be imposed and re-imposed. The logic being put forward is that if music is played, customers will speak more loudly... potentially spreading the coronavirus with their breath. Musicians and bands have been decimated by the restrictions, many have simply had to give up their livelihoods even while promoting the creative arts has recently become a major priority for Singapore. Fundamentally to retain public support, people need to be convinced that the benefits of these restrictions outweigh the cost of the disruption. But with higher and higher proportions of the population vaccinated, it will be hard to convince Singaporeans that restrictions are proportionate to the threat. If all things remain broadly equal, a much more major reopening will have to come soon and I think for many it cant come soon enough. *This is the personal opinion of the columnist.