Frontiersmen Far East Command with medical and rescue contributions during COVID

The coronavirus (COVID-19) quickly infected 10,000 globally by 31 January 2020, 100,000 by 7 March 2020, 1 million by 3 April 2020, and 10 million by 28 June 2020. Global death rates reached 500,000 on the same 28 June 2020 and rose to 1 million by 26 September 2020. By 1 November 2020, global infections exceeded 40 million. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates a staggering 100 million infections after the winter season in 2020. Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician of Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court, estimates 70 million to 150 million people alone in the United States will become infected with COVID-19 by early 2021 if vaccines are not approved for distributions. Frontiersmen activities in 2020 were largely postponed or cancelled as global air travel crippled travel mobility. Frontiersmen commands in East Asia with uncontrolled infections also experienced lock downs from government circuit breakers or movement control orders.

"The coronavirus is the worst epidemic in the modern history of the world with a rapid infection at an unprecedented rate. Frontiersmen Commands with medical supply and medical rescue capabilities volunteered to augment national efforts to flatten the curve of infection so that national medical facilities and intensive care were not overwhelmed.”

Matthew Yap, Commander Far East Command.

During the circuit breaker imposed by the Singapore government from 6 April to 19 June 2020, all Singaporeans less essential workers are to remain and work from home. Singapore experienced a rapid spike in the migrant worker community in March 2020 and the total number of quarantine orders issued exceeded 30,000 by April 2020. With a mission to curb widespread community infections, the Ministry of Health (MOH) Emergency Preparedness Readiness (EPR) Operations Centre was reinforced by Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) regular and reserve servicemen to assist with workflow design and operations control of persons under isolation orders (PUIO). Dr Matthew Yap was Chief of Staff (reserve) of the Division Artillery Brigade and responded to the call from April to June 2020.

On 19 June 2020, Dr Matthew Yap also trained and mobilised over 100 private security officers for personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control training to deploy within 10 days for a national COVID facility in the western part of Singapore constructed to house 3000 COVID patients. Dr Yap headed the security operation as Project Director.