If Singaporean would be asked to summarise 2020 they would say “resilience and supporting each other”.

Since February 2020, a centralised platform was put in place to enable ground-up groups, partners, companies and Government-led initiatives to be publicised so that people could volunteer to help.

On the business front, ride-hailing operator Grab offered a dedicated 24-hour service for healthcare professionals travelling for work, such as healthcare professionals working at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

Other companies offered counsel for small businesses on how to build a digital business, improve their online services and the use of social media.

Also, a team from Prudential Singapore’s Customer Division provided care kits to taxi and private hire drivers. The kits contained surgical masks, hand sanitisers, anti-bacterial wipes, and Vitamin C supplements.

Supermarkets extended their opening hours to allow safer buying to the elderly, disabled and pregnant women (retailers such as Cold Storage, Giant, Market Place, and Jason’s Deli were part of this initiative).

In terms of production, to help ease the projected shortfall of surgical masks around the world, CEO and co-founder of Razer, Mr. Tan Min-Liang, has been working around the clock to convert some of the business’ manufacturing lines into surgical mask production lines. “[All] of us have a part to play in fighting the virus — no matter which industry we come from” he said.

Another initiative from Singapore’s largest non-profit clinic serving the migrant community (HealthServe) was launched, aiming at ensuring its patients could still get the medical attention they needed. With innovation and quick thinking, a “hybrid” teleconsultation service was put in place to enable doctors to treat patients remotely.

“This outpouring of support from individual Singaporeans and organisations is encouraging and heartening”, said Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee in February at a press conference organised by the multi-ministry task force tackling the virus outbreak.

“These employers are just a few of the many who have modelled the way in dealing with the current situation; it has been a display of our ability to adapt and innovate as a nation, a reminder of how important it is to be prepared for any scenario, and a timely opportunity for us to retrain and help each other grow. So that when the virus passes, we don’t just recover, but hit the ground running” says Stephen Yee, Assistant Executive Director at Singapore National Employers Federation.