Circuit Breaker Anniversary: Remember These Headline-Makers From Last Year?
On 7 April last year, Singapore entered a Circuit Breaker lockdown in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. To commemorate the 1 year anniversary of Circuit Breaker, we've compiled a roundup of hot topics and "trigger" words from that period.
Keyword: Orange
When it became a thing: 7 Feb 2020
The Ministry of Health raised Singapore's DORSCON level from Yellow to Orange ("DORSCON Level Raised To Orange: Here's What This Means") after confirming three additional cases of the novel coronavirus infection without links to previous cases or travel history to China.
All of a sudden, the colour orange wasn't as festive as the mandarins at CNY. Instead, according to the DORSCON colour code, "orange" meant that the sitch was quite jialat.
In "What You Should Know About The DORSCON Colour Code And The Current Disease Situation", we dove deeper into the colour-coded framework and prayed that we wouldn't - and thank god we didn't - see red.
Keyword: Panic-buy
When it became a thing: 7 Feb 2020
In response to MOH raising the DORSCON level to Orange, kiasu people began to panic-buy and hoard essentials, especially toilet paper (never mind that 50++ packs of toilet paper at once is excessive even for the needs of one household).
In "Kan Cheong For What, Still Got Plenty Of Stock Leh", we did a bit of digging on our own and found that despite the "valiant" efforts of the kiasu minority, there was still plenty of essential (and non-essential) supplies on the shelves.
Nonetheless, in the spirit of being well-prepared, we also collated a list of alternatives to toilet paper ("No More Toilet Paper? Consider These Alternatives")... just in case.
Keyword: SHN (and other COVID-19-related acronyms)
When it became a thing: 18 Feb 2020 (when SHN was put into effect)
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, MOH raised the DORSCON level to Orange, encouraged people to WFH, issued LOAs to travellers returning from mainland China, and, on 18 Feb last year, implemented SHNs to enhance existing LOA measures.
Confused? Check out our glossary of COVID-19 acronyms ("PHPC? SHN? LOA? Refer To Our COVID-19 Glossary So You Won't Go OMG") to keep track of the various terms you need to know.
Keyword: Clap
When it became a thing: 30 Mar 2020
On 30 Mar 2020 at 8pm, Singaporeans clapped from their windows and corridors all across the country to show their appreciation for frontliners keeping us safe throughout the pandemic.
Keyword: Circuit Breaker
When it became a thing: 7 Apr 2020
As mentioned earlier, Circuit Breaker was implemented on 7 April last year, eventually ending on 1 Jun 2020.
In the spirit of #SGUnited, a couple of helpful Singaporeans created dialect videos to help dialect-speaking seniors understand the details about CB ("Simi Circuit Breaker? Dialect Explanations For Seniors").
At the same time, Telegram bots and channels for food deliveries, promos, Netflix parties and other CB-related activities began popping up one after another ("7 Useful Telegram Bots And Channels That Will Help You Survive The Circuit Breaker").
We also found ourselves daydreaming about useful inventions while doing our best to adjust to lockdown with the resources we had on hand ("Inventions We Wished We Had To Make The CB Easier").
And, of course, our sincerest condolences to anyone who was unfortunate enough to have a birthday taking place during CB ("Birthday During The CB? Can Be Quite Cham, Hor?").
Keyword: WFH
When it became a thing: 7 Apr 2020
We mentioned WFH earlier under COVID-19 acronyms, but it wasn't till the start of CB that WFH went from "strongly advised" to "mandatory" for everyone. Some of us were overjoyed ("5 Reasons Why WFH Is An Introvert's Dream") – No commuting to work, no nosy coworkers interrupting you every 5 seconds...
But after a while, the downsides of WFH began to emerge – Nosy parents interrupting you every 5 seconds, restless kids running around and shrieking their heads off while you're in a Zoom meeting with your mic on, sharing your tiny, crowded dining table with your spouse who's also working from home...
Of course, there are ways to cope ("How to WFH With Your Spouse, Parents, And Kids - And Remain Sane"), but most of the time, we simply had to grit our teeth, grin and bear it – at least, until CB ended and the house became slightly emptier again.
Keyword: #SGUnited
When it became a thing: It’s ongoing ok!
While the COVID-19 outbreak brought out the worst in some of us (we're looking at you, toilet paper hoarders), it also brought out the best in Singaporeans who made a point to look out for each other ("In Singapore, Everyday Heroes Perform Acts Of Kindness During Novel Coronavirus Outbreak"), as well as our migrant worker friends ("EXCLUSIVE: These Guys Are Running 4,107km To Raise $20k For Migrant Workers") throughout the progression of the pandemic.
Keyword: Home
When it became a thing: Always has been!
On 14 April 2020, a video by Voices of Singapore premiered, featuring a virtual choir of over 900 Singaporeans, including those living overseas, singing Dick Lee's beloved national song "Home" ("900 Singaporeans, 26 Countries, 1 Home").
This was followed up by a live singalong on 25 April 2020, where thousands of Singaporeans took part in a nationwide karaoke session of "Home" to show support and gratitude towards our frontline workers. Not only that, our migrant worker friends joined in as well ("What You Didn't See During The Home Singalong: Migrant Workers Singing, Too").
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