'They're not at fault': Netizens defend healthcare workers after some blame them for Covid-19 cluster at TTSH

The sounds of Singaporeans cheering and clapping by their windows for healthcare workers now seem like a distant memory. Since the end of the circuit breaker, the country has steadily moved through several phases of reopening.

That was until the first hospital cluster recently emerged with a nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) testing positive for Covid-19 on April 27.

With 40 cases — of whom 10 are healthcare workers — as of Tuesday (May 4), the TTSH cluster is the largest among the 10 active clusters in Singapore.

As the country sees its worst spate of community infections in a year, authorities have tightened measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

While the hospital said it is working hard to contain the situation and protect both patients and staff, some netizens were quick to point the finger at healthcare workers.

In a recent tweet that went viral, a nurse lamented: "It's sad, really sad to know that a year ago nurses like me were called healthcare heroes. But now? We are the ones being blamed for the outbreak.

"We sacrificed our lives to protect yours."

Although the tweet was deleted, it was reposted onto several social media platforms.

On Tuesday, nurses and their relatives shared similar experiences, with one alleging that a nurse was turned away when she took her sick child to a clinic.

A Stomp contributor shared a screenshot of a cancelled private hire ride, claiming that the driver cancelled the booking after realising the passenger was a doctor at the hospital.

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In the midst of online negativity towards the nurse who was the first in the hospital cluster to test positive for Covid-19, a netizen came to her defence, explaining on Instagram Stories that it didn't necessarily mean that she was the first person to have caught the virus.

They pointed out how another case in the cluster had exhibited symptoms days before the nurse did.

"If not for [the nurse] who was vigilant enough to do the right thing and went for testing, the virus would keep spreading under our noses," they said.

Do not shun healthcare workers, says MOH's Kenneth Mak

Speaking at the virtual multi-ministry task force press conference on Tuesday, the Ministry of Health's director of medical services Professor Kenneth Mak said TTSH healthcare workers should not be shunned.

"This is a concern for us because these workers are well and they have committed a lot of time and energy towards looking after patients in TTSH," he said.

Noting reports of the personnel being turned away by their landlords, he urged Singaporeans to show support to the workers and their welfare as it was "very important" during this difficult time.

While some netizens commented that it was understandable for people to be afraid of healthcare workers out of safety concerns, others called them out for being selfish and implored them to spare a thought for healthcare workers.

Numerous netizens showed their support by encouraging and thanking healthcare workers for fighting the pandemic on the front line, with one saying: "We should applaud them for their heroism."

Last year, nurses in Singapore were ostracised for wearing their uniform as people believed they "[walked] around with virus on [them]". One of them shared that she was mocked and shamed by her neighbours, who yelled "virus" and sprayed her with disinfectant whenever he saw her.

rainercheung@asiaone.com