Students at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have started making daily food deliveries to their university mates at student lodgings who have been placed on a 14-day leave of absence due to recent travel to China.
The leave of absence – a measure to protect schools from the new coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan – is precautionary.
The universities’ food delivery initiative was lauded by National Development Minister Lawrence Wong in his ministerial statement in Parliament on 3 February.
“This is the Singapore Spirit which will enable us to prevail against the virus,” said Mr Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force tackling the spread of the coronavirus.
At Cinnamon College in NUS, the University Scholars Programme (USP) residential college, a group of 18 undergraduates have taken up food delivery duties since Monday last week. The students are residential assistants in Cinnamon College.
NUS said the residential assistants can opt out of making deliveries at any time.
Such meals are delivered every day to the affected students, while weekday lunches and other meals on weekends are also catered for and paid for by the university, said USP director Kang Hway Chuan, who is also a college master in Cinnamon College.
Associate Professor Kang said that relevant safety precautions are taken, such as asking those on leave of absence to put on a mask when receiving meal deliveries in person.
Students making the deliveries have a standard operating procedure as well, such as donning masks and gloves at all times, and refraining from physical contact.
On 3 February, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung visited the government quarantine facilities at NTU’s Graduate Hall 1 and NUS’ Prince George’s Park Residences.
He also visited students on leave of absence, met student volunteers helping out on campus and joined them in delivering welfare packs and food packs.
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Source: The Straits Times, 4 February 2020