Adorable girl speaks perfect Hokkien, reminds Ah gong, Ah ma to stay home and be good

If your grandparents are having trouble staying home, perhaps this adorable little reminder would do the trick.

"Ah gong, ah ma, don't walk around outside!" a young girl in twin tails chirps in fluent Hokkien in an Instagram video on April 14.

The video, re-shared by Facebook group All Singapore Stuff on April 19, has since melted the hearts of many.

Though it was short, her video has hit all the right notes: "Be good and stay home, watch TV, listen to the radio. If you want to find your friends you can always video call them, understand? Is that ok? You must be good!"

The precocious darling even throws a flying kiss to the camera at the end for good measure.

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Speaking with AsiaOne, the girl's mum Evelyn reveals that 4-year-old Jace had come up with the idea on her own.

Having picked up Hokkien to communicate with her grandma, Jace had wondered if there were others like her who didn't understand English or Chinese and if they understood that staying home was for their own safety during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Evelyn shared: "She got so motivated to send the 'Stay Home' message to them, she requested to take a video of her talking to them in 'their language'!"

"We hope the uncles and aunties out there are entertained by Jace and listen to her message as if it came from their own grandchildren."

And safe to say, it seems like Jace's efforts have paid off. 

In a bid to keep the elderly entertained at home, TV shows targeted at their generation have been made available, even e-getais, after incidents of senior citizens flouting circuit breaker measures made the headlines in Singapore.

This includes an elderly man who was arrested on the very first day itself for insisting on having his meal at the void deck, an auntie who declared that she wasn't afraid of getting fined while having her meal in a hawker centre on April 18.

Failure to comply with measures would result in a $300 fine for first-time offenders, second-time offenders would be charged $1,000 while repeated offenders will be charged in court.

However, the lack of interaction and disruption to routine for many elderly could lead to depression and social isolation, hence leaving them restless and insistent on leaving the house, those involved in eldercare services said.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

rainercheung@asiaone.com