Special Report: Singapore is Number One in Pandemic Resilience and We're Cruisin'


Today's post is by Corona-zona Senior Southeast Asia Correspondent PBR

Hello from the S’pore!!! Or SIN as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) airport code labels this place. That code has gotten some folk in a tizzy in the past. Weirdos.

This update, using the parlance of the young ‘uns, may be considered a flex. But hey, it is an update about this City in a Garden™ and I’m just sharing a couple pieces of pandemic-related information.

First, we are where all Asian parents want their kids to be—Number One baby! Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking puts us there and we are not turning it down.

Bloomberg claims we are the place where the pandemic is being handled most successfully while avoiding significant social and economic disruption. The U.S. is number 17 as it stands. Now that I have stated it, I worry I may have jinxed the situation. Sorry Singapore.

(Of course, when rankings in other areas are bad, we just ignore it. The gag here is that the pro-government paper reported on how journalism is blocked in some countries while choosing to ignore the fact that Singapore placed an abysmal 160th in the world in the same ranking.)

Second, we like to get off this island. An absolutely mad mind-boggling fact of the day: Singapore now accounts for one-third of global cruise travellers. 

Take a step back and absorb this. No, further back. Okay, that will work. With only 5.7 million people on the island, folk want out so bad they are willing to board the COVID-19’s petri dish of the high seas.

Finally, on a personal note, I got my second Pfizer shot yesterday. Feeling alright. Thanks for asking.

Image by Corona-zona


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