SINGAPORE - When Singapore's Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (Dorscon) level was raised to orange last month, food and beverage outlets, hotels and gyms here were not spared from the impact, including the panic buying that ensued.
At Taiwanese bubble tea chain Playmade by OneZo, operations manager Lam Guo Jie found himself scouring e-commerce platforms, such as Lazada and Carousell, for masks and hand sanitisers.
Mr Lam, 32, told The Straits Times that getting hold of these products used to take about three to five days. Now, the company has to wait up to a month.
"Before the outbreak happened, we had a steady supply of masks and sanitisers. Now, we have a delay. Even though it is difficult to get sanitisers, we are trying to get them," said Mr Lam, who added that he was determined to get the masks and hand sanitisers to ensure the safety of his employees. The chain has nine outlets in Singapore.
"Every day, there are a lot of people walking in and out of our shop. We have to protect our staff and make sure they are not at risk," he said.
"Every day when they come in, they have to wear face masks. For those who are at the cash register, we will make sure they have hand sanitisers to use."
Over at F45 Changi Business Park, studio owner and trainer Linda Wattus also faced similar challenges.
"When we went to Dorscon orange, I rang every place to find the temperature-taking equipment. I think I rang 20 places and it was all sold out. It was tough to find hand sanitisers," said Ms Wattus, 46.
With the help of four gym members, Ms Wattus was able to secure a few boxes of hand sanitisers.
Despite seeing a 30 per cent drop in members, with more people now working from home, she has continued to find ways to keep the gym safe.
"We do things like taking temperature and cleaning on a regular basis. All the members have to have towels as well, because we are all in a sweaty environment. Our trainers have a Dettol bottle with them constantly and there are hand sanitisers at the door", she added.
While Orchard Hotel said they had no problems obtaining supplies of masks and hand sanitisers, it still saw a 50 per cent drop in the number of room bookings. This has also affected their restaurants.
In February, the hotel launched a We Clean We Care We Welcome campaign to showcase enhanced cleaning measures in the building.
The Orchard Cafe, which is popular for its local buffet spread, introduced alfresco dining for those who prefer to eat outdoors, where there is better ventilation.
While the number of tourists remains low, the campaign boosted the confidence of locals and regular customers and encouraged more of them to dine at the restaurants.
Ms Jaslyn Wong, the restaurant manager at Orchard Hotel, said: "With the virus outbreak, more foreigners prefer to be served. Most of our staff are well-trained. Even though it is a buffet, we can serve them if they prefer that option."
She added that some patrons may request for hot water to deep-cleanse their spoon and chopsticks, or their even own serving cutlery.
"If they request for it, we do as much as we can to serve them because this is our job," she said.
While Ms Wong has had to adapt to changes in the way she works, she remains positive.
"I am not scared. We need to earn a living ... When I step out of my house, my mum or husband will say: Happy working!"
