Part 1. Vocabulary
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mindset |
/ ˈMīn (d) set/ n. - the established set of attitudes held by someone: His conservative mindset sometimes causes him to miss out on important opportunities. |
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hawker |
/ ˈHôkər/ n. - a person who travels around selling goods, typically advertising them by shouting: “Hawkers pushed their little handcarts, crying“ Bread! ”,“ Fish! ” and "Meat pies!" |
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default |
/ dəˈfôlt/ n. - failure to fulfill an obligation, especially to repay a loan or appear in a court of law: "It will have to restructure its debts to avoid default" |
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jab |
/ jab/ n. - to push or hit something forcefully and quickly, often with a thin or sharp object: Booster jabs were earlier offered to people aged 50 and above. |
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stabilize |
/ˈStābəˌlīz v. - to hold steady or make firm. When you climb a ladder, you should stabilize the ladder before you get on it. |
Part 2. Comprehension Questions
What should Singaporeans update according to PM Loong?
Who will no longer be allowed to dine in at hawker centers and coffee shops?
For whom will polymerase chain reaction be reserved?
When will the vaccinations for young children be rolled out?
What are the seven ways Singapore is moving towards living with COVID-19?
Part 3. Article Reading
SINGAPORE: Singapore will change testing and quarantine requirements for COVID-19 as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday (Oct 9) that people should update their mindsets and not be paralyzed by fear of the virus.
Here are seven things you need to know about the changes Singapore is making.
1. NO DINING-IN FOR UNVACCINATED PEOPLE. People who are unvaccinated will no longer be allowed to dine in at hawker
centers and coffee shops, nor enter attractions, shopping malls, and large standalone stalls from Oct 13.
2. NO QUARANTINE FOR CLOSE CONTACTS. Close contacts of COVID-19 cases will no longer receive quarantine orders but will get health risk warnings instead. This is part of the Ministry of Health's (MOH) simplified health protocols emphasizing “personal responsibility and self-management”, which kick in on Oct 11.
3. PCR TESTS ONLY FOR UNWELL PEOPLE. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing will be reserved mainly for people who feel unwell and have symptoms under the new healthcare protocols.
4. HOME RECOVERY FOR MORE PEOPLE. Unvaccinated cases aged 12 to 49, as well as children aged five to 11, will soon recover at home by default
as the severity of illness in them is assessed to be low. People on home recovery will also follow a timed discharge, without the need for further tests.
5. PROGRESS ON VACCINES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. Vaccinations for young children under the age of 12 could be rolled out early next year, Mr. Lee said in his address to the nation. “We are closely tracking the progress of vaccine trials on children in the US. We will start vaccinating children as soon as vaccines are approved for them, and our experts are satisfied that they are safe, ”he added.
6. VACCINE BOOSTERS FOR MORE PEOPLE. Healthcare workers, frontline COVID-19 workers, and people aged 30 and above who were fully vaccinated about six months ago are the next groups to be offered vaccine booster shots. Booster jabs were earlier offered to people aged 50 and above.
7. THREE TO SIX MONTHS FOR A 'NEW NORMAL. Singapore will take three to six months to reach a “new normal” when it can ease off restrictions and have “light” safe management, Mr. Lee said.
This will be when infections stabilize at “perhaps hundreds a day” but are not growing, and people can resume pre-pandemic activities and see crowds “without getting worried or feeling strange”, he said.
Reference: Davina Tham, 09 Oct 2021, https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid19-dine-vaccination-home-recovery-booster-new-normal-2232901