Lee Hsien Yang has recently taken to Facebook to express his stance on the ban on e-cigarettes in Singapore. In a post on his Facebook account, he argues that the benefits of regulating e-cigarette usage outweigh the potential risks involved.

Hsien Yang asserts that there is ample evidence supporting the claim that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking traditional cigarettes.

He emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and accepting this “well-documented” evidence as a basis for reconsidering the current ban on e-cigarettes.

According to him, the adoption of a regulatory framework, coupled with the imposition of safety standards, is a more prudent approach to addressing the concerns related to vaping.

One of the key points raised by Hsien Yang is the potential role of e-cigarettes in smoking cessation. He suggests that permitting the regulated use of e-cigarettes could be beneficial for individuals attempting to quit smoking traditional cigarettes.

Hsien Yang criticizes the existing regulations on e-cigarettes, characterizing them as “dogmatic” and asserting that retaining such policies is detrimental to public health.

He advocates for a shift towards a more flexible and evidence-based approach that takes into account the evolving landscape of smoking alternatives.

Lee Hsien Yang’s post

LIFT BAN ON E-CIGARETTES

Singapore should lift the ban e-cigarettes. The benefits that would accrue from regulated use of e-cigarettes outweigh the potential risks involved. The evidence that vaping is far less harmful than smoking cigarettes is well documented and accepted. It is far better to regulate vaping and impose safety standards. We should permit vaping for people trying to quit smoking. To dogmatically retain the existing regulations is simply bad public policy.

Singapore’s stance on e-cigarettes

Vaping is illegal in Singapore. Simply purchasing, using or owning an electronic vapouriser or vape results in fines of up to $2,000 per offence.

According to Health Hub, existing evidence shows that the harmful chemical composition within vapes pose many health risks.

Below are some of the common chemicals found in vapes:

1. NICOTINE
2. CANCER-CAUSING AGENTS & METAL NANOPARTICLES
3. PARTICULATE MATTER
4. VITAMIN E ACETATE

Health Hub also added that for youths, vaping can serve as a gateway to pick up smoking, due to nicotine addiction.

They said that “many authoritative scientific studies in the United States and United Kingdom have shown that youth who use vapes are more likely to progress to conventional cigarettes.”

“There is also a growing number of studies from overseas such as Taiwan, UK, US and Canada that reported that youths who have never smoked but experimented with vapes at least double their chance of smoking cigarettes later in life.”

Gym rules are a common aspect of fitness centers worldwide, shaping the gym-goers’ experience and ensuring a conducive environment for workouts.

However, a recent incident in a condominium gym in Singapore has sparked a heated debate among netizens.

A seemingly straightforward rule prohibiting the use of social media during workout sessions has become a focal point of contention.

No social media allowed

The gym in question adorned its glass walls with a conspicuous sign explicitly instructing patrons not to use social media while engaged in their workout sessions.

This unexpected rule quickly caught the attention of netizens when a photo was shared on Sgfollowsall, accompanied by a caption:

“most stupid gym signage i’ve ever seen lmao. It’s so ridiculous cuz my neighbour told me the security guard came into the gym and told him to stop using his phone.”

Netizens flooded the comment section with a mix of amusement and frustration, questioning the rationale behind such a rule.

Netizens’ comments

1. people who say not being allowed to use phone in the gym is okay clearly don’t hit the gym lol
2. Either this stemmed from some bozo taking up the bench and hogging it while watching tiktok or someone tried to do a live or something and invaded the privacy of others.
3. Imagine next time they write: “No using of social media in public toilets”
4. Don’t want residents to take videos of others la.. since it’s EOY, CM don’t want to siam from trouble 
5. Anybody who agrees with those ridiculous signage clearly don’t lift weights.
6. I agree with the rules because some of y’all seriously be on a machine for 30 minutes scrolling through ur social media and shit while the rest of us just wanna train and get the fuck out the gym
7. Stupid indeed. As long as it’s not disrupting anybody why can’t people use their phones?
8. Makes sense.. are you really working out or is this for the camera?

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A post shared by SgfollowsAll (@sgfollowsall)

In the fast-paced digital age, seamless connectivity is not just a luxury but a necessity. However, on Saturday (9 Dec) morning, Singtel users found themselves grappling with unexpected connectivity issues.

The incident, though swiftly resolved, brought to light the importance of uninterrupted mobile services.

The Emergence of Issues

Start of Connectivity Problems

At approximately 6 am on Saturday, users began encountering intermittent connectivity problems with Singtel’s services. This sudden disruption left many users puzzled and frustrated.

Peak Reports on Downdetector

The gravity of the situation became evident as the number of reports on Downdetector peaked at around 8.02 am, with a staggering 1,100 users reporting issues. This spike highlighted the widespread impact of the connectivity glitch.

User Complaints on Singtel’s Facebook Page

Social media platforms, particularly Singtel’s Facebook page, became a venting ground for users. Between 8 am and 8.30 am, the page was flooded with complaints, reflecting the urgency and intensity of the issue.

Netizens’ comments

1. 5g network down??
   • (Singtel) Hi Vegel, please restart your device and/ or toggle your airplane mode “ON” and “OFF”. – Sharlyn
2. Singtel your mobile data network is down this morning 9 Dec for at least 2 hours. Take responsibility. Customers need to know so we do not keep trying and thinking it’s an error with our devices.
   • (Singtel) Hi Andy, please restart your device and/ or toggle the airplane mode “ON” and “OFF”. Let us know if the issue still persists. – Sharlyn
3. Whole Singtel connection down?
   • (Singtel) Hi King Yapp, please restart your device and/ or toggle the airplane mode “ON” and “OFF”. – Sharlyn

Singtel’s Response

Acknowledgment of Connectivity Issues

Responding to queries from Lianhe Zaobao, a Singtel spokesperson acknowledged the “intermittent connectivity issues” and claimed that services were fully restored by 8.17am, before apologising for the disruption.

However, some netizens took to Singtel’s Facebook page to complain that their services were down for “at least 2 hours”.

 COVID-19 infections have been on the rise in Singapore over the past two weeks. However, there is no indication that the variants circulating locally are more transmissible or cause more severe disease. While hospitalisations and ICU cases have increased, the numbers are not high like during the pandemic.

2.    The estimated number of COVID-19 cases in the week of 26 November to 2 December 2023 rose to 32,035 cases, compared to 22,094 cases in the previous week. The average daily COVID-19 hospitalisations rose to 225 from 136 the week before, and the average daily Intensive Care Unit (ICU) cases increased to four cases compared to one case in the previous week.

3.    This has added workload to our hospitals, which are already busy. The Ministry of Health (MOH) is closely tracking the trajectory of this wave to ensure that our healthcare capacity is able to cope.

4.    The increase in cases could be due to a number of factors, including waning population immunity and increased travel and community interactions during the year-end travel and festive season. Cases infected by JN.1, a sublineage of BA.2.86, currently account for over 60 percent of COVID-19 cases in Singapore. While BA.2.86 and its sublineages have been classified as a Variant of Interest by the World Health Organization since 21 November 2023, there are currently no indications, globally or locally, that BA.2.86 or JN.1 are more transmissible or cause more severe disease than other circulating variants. 

Exercising personal and social responsibility is key 

5. We urge the public to exercise precaution, personal and social responsibility. The most important precautionary measures are:

a. Practise good personal hygiene, such as frequent hand washing;
b. When unwell, stay at home, and minimise contact with other people, especially seniors and those who are vulnerable;
c. At a crowded place, particularly if not well-ventilated, consider wearing a mask; and
d. When travelling overseas, stay vigilant and adopt relevant travel precautions, such as wearing a mask at the airport, purchasing travel insurance, and avoiding crowded areas with poor ventilation.

Please visit MOH’s Health Advisory for Travellers at www.moh.gov.sg/diseasesupdates/travel-advisory for more information.

6.   We also urge the public to seek medical treatment at a hospital’s Emergency
Department only for serious or life-threatening emergencies. This will preserve our
hospital capacity for patients who truly need acute hospital care and allow those with
severe illness to receive timely treatment. 

Vaccination remains effective in protecting against severe illness 

7. Everyone is advised to keep up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations. This includes an additional dose around one year after their last vaccine dose for those aged 60 years and above, medically vulnerable persons, and residents of aged care facilities. Beyond this group, all individuals aged six months and above are also encouraged to receive the additional dose, particularly for healthcare workers and household members/ caregivers of medically vulnerable individuals.

8. The updated COVID-19 monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna/Spikevax vaccines have been available at our Joint Testing and Vaccination Centres, participating Public Health Preparedness Clinics and selected polyclinics since November 2023, and continue to be free. Please refer to
https://gowhere.gov.sg/vaccine for the nearest vaccination site and the types of
vaccines offered at each site.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
8 DECEMBER 2023