New Zealand High Commissioner to Singapore H.E. Jo Tyndall describes the steps and approach the mission is taking to care for New Zealanders who are affected by COVID-19
HIGH Commissioner Jo Tyndall shared how: “2020 has taken us on a different path from what any of us could have foreseen. Many of our citizens have been impacted by the new travel restrictions and hence a key focus of our team’s work has been offering consular support to distressed New Zealanders. A small number of our citizens based in Singapore were confirmed to have Covid-19 – we have been working hard to ensure they are well-cared for.”
Familial Attitude
The High Commissioner also described how the Mission is coping with the COVID-19 emergency and what steps have been taken for the safety of those working in the Mission: “The new ‘Circuit Breaker’ social distancing measures implemented in Singapore also mean that with the exception of essential consular staff, most of us are now working from home. As a small team we consider ourselves to be whānau (family) and we have found new ways to keep connected, and provide one another the support we need.”
She also felt that, “It is in these uncertain times that New Zealand’s strong bilateral relationships with countries like Singapore really come into their own. Faced with an unprecedented global crisis, New Zealand’s Minister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker and Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing committed to maintaining open and connected supply chains and to removing existing trade restrictive measures on essential goods, especially medical supplies. A number of other countries have since joined this initiative. These measures will hopefully mean that our nations can remain connected and that we all have access to the items we need most.”
On 30th March 2020, the High Commissioner posted the following video message for New Zealanders on the New Zealand High Commission in Singapore Facebook site that went into more details of the COVID-19 Outbreak. To view visit here.
