PUBLISHED ONNovember 22, 2023 11:28 AMByChing Shi JieRewind the clock to April 2020 - more quarantine and isolation facilities were set up in dormitories, hotels and even in chalets, as Singapore's Covid-19 cases were on the rise.
It was also during this period when Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) Tan Su Leng began receiving an increasing number of text messages every day.
Her work covered the management of security at quarantine and isolation facilities, migrant workers' dormitories and safe management measures.
"I would wake up to being added into many different chat groups," Tan, who has been with the Singapore Police Force for 25 years, said in an interview with AsiaOne on Wednesday (Nov 22).
The 52-year-old added that her team of seven officers had to work with many different agencies to enforce safe management measures and potential law and order issues at supermarkets and migrant dormitories.
"My constant worry was that I would become the single point of failure, and it was immensely pressuring."
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Tan's team was previously involved in a "public health crisis" - albeit on a much smaller scale.
In May 2019, a 38-year-old Nigerian national, who arrived in Singapore alone a month ago, tested positive for monkeypox.
Tan said that her team was involved in managing the quarantine operations, which she described as "manageable".
"We were confident that the experience would prepare us for the next public health crisis," she added.
But as the Covid-19 cases first surfaced in Singapore, Tan's plans in stemming the outbreak were "all thrown out".
"We had to prepare new plans every day as the situation evolved at an unprecedented rate," she said, adding that her team constantly overwhelmed with new information about the pandemic during that time.
This was the reason why Tan felt relieved when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced a circuit breaker in April 2020.
"It was something that my team and I had anticipated, but I think it became very surreal. Like, 'finally, we have reached this step."
Tan also recalled how her team spent countless nights working till late to firm up contingency plans, and even missed out on Chinese New Year celebrations and gatherings.
"[But] the clear guidance and support from my bosses, as well as a strong spirit of teamwork and resilience among my team, were very assuring," she said.
Tan is one of the 3,036 medal recipients of the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) Covid-19 awards.
She received the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) award.
In the awards ceremony at the Singapore Expo on Wednesday (Nov 22), Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam thanked the Home Team officers for their efforts and sacrifices to help Singapore overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.
He noted that many Home Team officers were at the frontlines and worked around the clock.
This included roles such as handling the surge in demand for emergency medical services, conducting swabbing operations and securing Government quarantine facilities.
Shanmugam also recognised the efforts of Home Team officers who supported the Mult-Ministry Taskforce in contact tracing, supporting testing operations and providing equipment and logistics.
"All of you and many more, played a huge part in managing the pandemic, and in making sure that we emerged from the pandemic in reasonable shape, in fact, stronger than before," the minister said.
Echoing Shanmugam's remarks, Tan, who is now head of operations at SPF's Ang Mo Kio Division, said that her team had fought a 'war'.
"And we came out alive," she added.