Petition: Remove or Re-Calibrate The Latest VDS Measures & Protect The Unvaccinated From Losing Jobs
Republished from: https://www.change.org/p/remove-or-re-calibrate-the-latest-vds-measures-protect-the-unvaccinated-from-losing-jobs
My name is Jaime Wong. Tennis has been my life. I grew up playing tennis and began representing Singapore at the age of 13. I started a tennis school in 2010 and coaching tennis has been my full time profession. But from Jan 15 2022, I will not be able to enter my tennis school nor step onto a tennis court. No more face-to-face with coaches, students, or parents and no more coaching.
Why? Because I’m unvaccinated.
With the latest Vaccine-Differentiated Safe-Management (VDS) measures, “Unvaccinated persons will not be allowed to return to the workplace even with a negative Pre-Event Test (PET) from Jan 15.” As a tennis coach, according to SportSG, this means that I am barred from entering ALL tennis courts - not just those at my tennis school. “Work-From-Home” is not an option.
People ask, “Why not get vaccinated?” I have an autoimmune disorder and have been advised by some doctors and friends not to take the MRNA vaccines but instead, to consider Sinovac/Sinopharm. I have considered. While the risks are low, there are still risks. I simply do not know how my body may react to a vaccine so I am uncomfortable to vaccinate.
I understand that some people may disagree with my reasons but nonetheless, these are my reasons. I feel they are valid. And in my view, every person has his or her own reasons for choosing “to vaccinate” or “not to vaccinate” and while one may disagree with another’s reasons, a person’s decision should be respected.
PM Lee Hsien Loong had said on 14th December 2020 that the Government had accepted the MOH expert committee’s recommendation “to make vaccinations VOLUNTARY.”
If vaccinations are voluntary, then why do I feel like I’m being punished for exercising my “voluntary” choice not to vaccinate? Why do I feel more and more like an outcast in society?
I am thankful and highly supportive of the leadership of the Singapore Government in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. I have very willingly complied with all past VDS measures - no malls, no dine-in, do my twice a week ART tests to go to work, etc. But I simply cannot understand the rationale for barring me from my workplace.
MOH said that “this change will help PROTECT UNVACCINATED INDIVIDUALS and create safer workplaces for everyone.”
But is this really the reason? Forgive me for having my doubts given MOH’s own statement on 8th November 2021: “We are taking A STRONGER STANCE against those who choose not to be vaccinated, be it through the VDS, or by requiring them to pay for their medical bills.”
Are the latest VDS measures to bar unvaccinated workers from returning to their workplaces about “protecting the unvaccinated” or are they meant to “coerce the unvaccinated” into vaccination?
No Vaccine = No Entry / No Job: It feels this way to me. Is this ethical in a democratic society? If unvaccinated persons today can be banned from returning to workplaces, what about currently vaccinated persons who choose not to take booster shots down the road? Will unvaccinated children not be allowed to return to schools or be ‘re-deployed’ to different CCAs? How long will these VDS measures last and how far will it go?
As we enter into 2022, I am just ONE (1) of approximately 52,000 Singaporeans who face losing our livelihoods due to the latest VDS measures. As the majority of Singaporeans look forward to a “happy new year” or a “better 2022”, unvaccinated individuals are entering 2022 with impending ‘gloom’ to come. Should this be so?
This article below, written by a pro-vaccination concerned citizen of Singapore, critically examines the 4 common grounds for justifying VDS measures and argues that it is “unreasonable”, maybe even “unconstitutional”, to bar workers from their workplaces.
If this matter and the rationales laid out in the article above resonate with you, I urge you to sign this petition as an appeal to our Singapore government to REMOVE or RE-CALIBRATE the latest VDS measures and protect unvaccinated individuals from losing their jobs.