TL;DR – Not a bad idea.
As of yesterday (13 October), those unvaccinated against Covid-19 can no longer enter shopping malls, as well as large standalone stores that are not supermarkets.
The vaccination-differentiated rules came after Singapore saw an increase in daily cases in recent weeks, and the new measure is implemented to protect unvaccinated individuals in the community and reduce the strain on the healthcare system, said the Ministry of Health.
Healthcare worker urges public to get vaccinated and comply with COVID-19 measures
In response to the vaccination-differentiated rules, Straits Times forum writer Mr Francis Heng is suggesting for the SafeEntry system to be enhanced, to show red light for unvaccinated people.
He explained that while the latest vaccination-differentiated safe management measures at shopping malls and large standalone shops announced recently by the Government are a good idea to protect the unvaccinated from catching Covid-19 and reduce the strain on the healthcare system, it could potentially cause long queues forming at entryways.
As such, he suggests for the authorities look into enhancing the current SafeEntry system so that when unvaccinated people tap their token or device at entrances, the sensor shows a red light instead of a green light.
Heng also pointed out that this will help prevent arguments with security staff or store management.
Here is his full letter,
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The latest vaccination-differentiated safe management measures at shopping malls and large standalone shops announced recently by the Government are a good idea to protect the unvaccinated from catching Covid-19 and reduce the strain on the healthcare system.
I would like to suggest that the authorities look into enhancing the current SafeEntry system so that when unvaccinated people tap their token or device at entrances, the sensor shows a red light instead of a green light.
This will help prevent arguments with security staff or store management and possibly prevent long queues from forming at entryways.
With our Government’s push towards being a Smart Nation, I think adding such an extra feature to the SafeEntry system should be possible.
Francis Heng
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Meanwhile, it has been reported that a group of unvaccinated individuals in Singapore are calling on the government to allow them into malls through a petition started on 10 Oct.
The now-deleted petition saw more than 6,000 signatures registered in just two days demanding that the unvaccinated in Singapore be allowed into shopping centres as “most goods and services are concentrated in malls to maximise space usage” on “a densely-populated island”.
Following the petition, a counter petition was also seen making the rounds.
The counter-petition demanded that unvaccinated people in Singapore should be denied entry into malls,
“Unvaccinated (by choice) are a danger to themselves and the elderly/immune compromised individuals
Going to the Mall is NOT a basic right. You can get healthcare from non-mall clinics, groceries from non-Mall supermarkets and basically anything online.
When >82% of the population has protected themselves and others, the remaining individuals who are not vaccinated because of personal choice (non-medical reasons) should not be pandered to.”
At the time of writing, the petition has received more than 1,000 signatures since created.