Health Minister Ong Ye Kung is on TikTok and in his first-ever TikTok video published on Mar 29, 2022, he gave an overview of the easing of the Safe Management Measures (SMMs) and showed viewers where to put on a mask and where it’s optional.
“I just started a TikTok account. Today is my first video. Today is also the first day Singapore is easing all our Safe Management Measures,” said Minister Ong. Prime Minister Lee announced last week that wearing masks outdoors will be optional from Mar 29 onwards.
The video has been viewed more than 800,000 times and has received more than 54,000 likes.

He then went for a walk to Tiong Bahru Market and gave a demonstration on where to remove masks and where to put them on.
Outdoors? Can remove

Minister Ong said: “This is outdoors and I’m all alone so I can take off my mask.”

Retail shop walkways? Can remove

He explained that while the walkway is sheltered, it is still considered outdoors so there’s no need to wear a mask.
Hawker Centres? Wear a mask

Next, he visited Tiong Bahru Market but before that he wore his mask as the market is enclosed and the ventilation is not as good as compared to outdoors.
As he entered the market, he spoke to some of the staff and noted that the cordons have been removed.

And he gave a summary of the measures: Up to five fully vaccinated persons can be seated and enforcement officers will do random spot checks on vaccination status.


Updates on the hospital front

After his carrot cake meal (black plus white, by the way), he went to Singapore General Hospital and spoke to Ms Jennifer Wong, a nurse.
She said that there are still a large number of patients coming in from the emergency department.
To which, Minister Ong reminded the public:
“Our hospitals are still very busy. Our healthcare workers are really working very hard for the past two years.
So whatever it is — even masks off, social restrictions have been reduced — but still, please be careful. Especially, take care of those who are vulnerable such as the elderly, such as those who are not fully vaccinated, such as the young children.
Then, you can protect our healthcare workers so that they can continue to do a good job to keep Singapore safe.”
He closed the video with a status of his shirt.

Watch the full video here.