With the global count of patients infected by the Wuhan coronavirus increasing rapidly, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reiterated that the country's hospitals and healthcare workers are well prepared to handle the outbreak.
"We have been preparing for something like this ever since SARS in 2003," he said in a Facebook post on January 28.
The Singapore government has activated its contingency plans, and the public sector agencies are working together to tackle the issue.
PM Lee added in the post, "I have received many messages from you expressing concerns about the Wuhan coronavirus. I fully understand your feelings. We are all worried for ourselves and our loved ones, here and overseas."
He noted that experts are of the opinion that the Wuhan virus may be less lethal than SARS, but more infectious. Those who are infected could possibly be contagious before symptoms show.
"If true, this will make it harder to screen and detect new cases, and to stop the spread," Lee said.
Emphasising that sharing news news responsibly is an important way to protect ourselves, he also urged the public not to listen to or spread rumours and untrue reports on WhatsApp and social media.