A timeline of how Singapore is battling COVID-19 — issue #8

A timeline of how Singapore is battling COVID-19 — issue #8

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So, COVID-19 was a perfect storm.

The virus surfaced almost exactly as millions of Chinese people began traveling for their Lunar New Year celebrations. It's been about a month since the virus was first confirmed in Singapore, and it has since consumed our society. It's all anyone talks about, and even how we go about our daily lives has changed to minimise the spread of COVID-19.

Within the first week, maps and other data visualisations related to the virus surfaced on social media. We didn't plan to join them initially, because we were unsure where we could best add to the conversation. But as the situation unfolded, we realised the importance of contextualising some of the debates happening, alongside the spread of the virus itself. How prepared is Singapore to combat COVID-19? The case numbers seem high; is the spread extensive?

In this special series, we attempt to give readers a sense of clarity on these topics. Our first story tracks Singapore's response to the virus and the measures taken; the second looks at the connections between confirmed cases. We will be updating both stories regularly as the situation unfolds, and we'd love to hear your input on how we can make them better. Please do drop us an email at hello@kontinentalist.com.

In the meantime, stay safe, wash your hands, and don't touch your face.

Peiying
Editor-in-chief

Hear directly from our writers
Why tell the story through a timeline?
“As we watched family members and friends spring into action against COVID-19, our team got curious about how other people and public institutions in Singapore are handling it.

Most chronicles of the crisis at the time focused on new cases and transmission vectors. We felt that it'd also be useful to summarise what different groups of people were doing and highlight key responses. So we did, drawing inspiration from the Pudding's U.S. anti-vaxx movement timeline." — Kenneth, Editor
covid-19 singapore timeline
Why you should read the story:
“There is a lot of fake news circulating online, so we wanted to help our readers make informed opinions regarding the government's and community's response to the spread of the virus. As it has been difficult processing the influx of information these days, the timeline was meant to help readers to more efficiently absorb what we felt was the most important information."  — Gwyneth, Writer
timeline of singapore's covid-19 cases

Let us know how we can improve
Hey we've made it to our #8 issue! And we think now's a good time to do a check-in with you, our dear readers.

How can we make this newsletter better? Are there things you want to see more or less of? Let us know by either replying to this newsletter, or via our Facebook polls.
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