How Singapore businesses are scrambling to stay open amid the new Covid-19 wave
SINGAPORE, May 15 — A recent spike in Covid-19 cases in Singapore has prompted some businesses to reactivate contingency plans to deal with staff shortages and safeguard customer health.
From Apr 27 to May 3, Singapore recorded an estimated 14,200 Covid-19 cases, up from 11,100 the week before, according to health authorities.
According to a Channel News Asia report, restaurants and transport firms have responded by hiring part-time staff, intensifying cleaning measures, and providing protective equipment to their employees.
At House of Seafood in Punggol, two chefs tested positive for Covid-19, creating a staffing crunch ahead of the busy Mother's Day weekend.
To cope, the restaurant sought skilled part-time chefs with similar experience to maintain the quality of its popular crab dishes, according to supervisor Feng Ying.
However, Feng said these chefs came at a premium.
'We need to raise the salary, by about 50 per cent more than usual, in order to hire them,' she was quoted as saying.
The restaurant also ramped up cleaning protocols, engaging professional sanitisation services for deep cleaning of kitchen areas and common surfaces.
Disinfection efforts at the eatery have doubled to four times daily, focusing on high-touch areas like door handles and toilets.
Transport firm SG Bus Charter Travel & Tours has also intensified cleaning while continuing to equip its drivers with N95 masks, which have been standard since the pandemic began.
Its director, Dinesh Dhillon, said the company has flexible work arrangements and daily driver schedules that can be reshuffled quickly in the event of Covid-related absences.
'When ... two or three or maybe four or five drivers come down ... we'll just reshuffle the whole schedule,' he said.
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