Playing their part in pandemic but at cost of mental health

AS Covid-19 cases continue to climb, people here are more concerned about catching the virus.

Nearly half of the people polled in an online survey of 1,000 respondents have cut back on physical activities, and 73% dine out less often.

All this has come at a cost to many. Mental health has declined since the Covid-19 pandemic began, with 76% of the respondents here feeling sad or depressed, and 65% feeling lonely.

As the pandemic continues, a good number of people polled also say they are willing to put up with trade-offs, such as longer waiting times for hospital treatment.

Nearly half of them – 42% – are willing to wait longer for their turn to receive in-patient non-urgent care at hospitals, if they are full with Covid-19 patients.

More than half of them (52%) are willing to do the same for outpatient non-urgent care.

The respondents are also least willing to put up with measures that impact their social life, according to the survey commissioned by The Straits Times and conducted by market research firm Milieu Insight.

The poll was conducted from Sept 20 to 22, ahead of the latest rounds of measures announced on Sept 24 which kicked in yesterday.

The results are representative of the Singapore population 16 years old and above by age, gender and ethnicity.

In the same survey, more than half of the respondents think the Government has managed the situation well, and are willing to follow the mandatory restrictions.

Compared with a similar survey conducted in August 2020, the proportion of residents who are concerned about the number of new cases here has doubled to 70%.

The proportion of those who fear catching the virus has also grown, from 37% to 72%.

These concerns come in the wake of a sharp spike in cases here, with the daily number rising to more than 1,000 over the past week.

When asked what measures they are most willing to tolerate or live with, the residents surveyed are most willing to put up with measures such as mandatory mask wearing (67%), encouraging or enforcing working from home (54%), and Safeentry check-ins (47%).

They are least willing to live with measures that impact their social life, such as limits on the size of household gatherings (54%) and dining in F&B establishments (50%); as well as self-testing (45%).

Overall, a significant proportion 45% – are willing to live with the restrictions for as long as they are necessary; 36% are willing to living with the curbs for another year.

Professor Dale Fisher, a senior infectious diseases consultant at the National University hospital, said most Singaporeans have accepted their critical role in managing the pandemic.

“I believe there is trust, but that is also driven by the way instructions are communicated. They are based on the best available evidence and have translated to good results,” he said, adding that trust has to be earned through consistency, empathy, clear messaging and a “resolve to do what is right”. — The Straits Times/ann