Month: May 2009

Was reading up on this news that I saw on the telly which mentioned that SMRT will cut train frequency should the pandemic alert turned to RED.

Found on ChannelNewsAsia

SMRT said train frequency will be reduced by 30 per cent once Singapore’s pandemic alert level hits red. This is because its service staff are divided into two teams to prevent the potential spread of the H1N1 virus. (emphasis is mine)

First the facts – at the moment, we are at Pandemic Alert:Orange. So what happens when it reaches RED? Here’s the breakdown of the Alert status at the government’s Crisis Information site (aside – the site’s title graphic reads flu.gov.sg while the site redirects to crisis.gov.sg/FLU … branding confusion)

Alert Red — WHO declares that an influenza pandemic has begun. Singapore eventually also affected.

• Higher risk of acquiring the disease from the community once pandemic spreads to Singapore .

• Strategy is to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

• All measures taken in Alert Orange will continue to be applied.

• Closing of school and suspension of selected events to prevent congregation of large groups of people.

It is only when we reach Alert BLACK that the government will “Issue advisory to public to stay home or even consider imposing curfew”.

So which leads me to the reason that was cited in the CNA report. Just to clarify that at the time of posting, there is no mention of their crisis management policy at the SMRT site.

This line made me cringe: This is because its service staff are divided into two teams to prevent the potential spread of the H1N1 virus.

At Alert Red, aside from the students, the working public will still be going to work and by cutting down train frequencies down by a huge 30%, simple maths tells me that the volume of each train will increase. With more people in each cabin, wouldn’t that multiplies the chances of getting the virus which we are trying to avoid?

I sincerely hope that the news is a result of bad management of SMRT’s PR and not some inward-looking crisis management just to cut cost. At a time when more people are taking public transport, cutting train frequency is definitely NOT the right way to handle this H1N1 crisis.