Dear members of the EuroCham community,
I write now to share important new EuroCham Singapore policies and guidelines on the EuroCham office and events. As they will affect all of us in some way, I ask that everyone – board members, staff, EuroCham members, sponsors, partners, event attendees and visitors to the office – to take the time to read the new policies:
EuroCham Singapore Events
EuroCham will convert all physical events and meetings that were scheduled before 30 April 2020 to a virtual version or will postpone it to a later date. We will keep you informed with the usual channels: EuroCham website, emails and social media.
We advise all EuroCham members and members of the public meeting with our staff to shift to virtual meetings when you can.
EuroCham Singapore Guidance for Visitors to our Office
Singaporeans, Permanent Residents, Long Term Pass holders and short term visitors entering Singapore from 20 March 2020, 2359 hours cannot join us at the office or have face-to-face meetings until they have successfully completed a 14 day Stay-Home Notice. For further notice on travel restrictions placed on short term visitors to Singapore, please refer to https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19.
All visitors to the EuroCham office must fill in this Health Declaration Form. Temperature scanning will also take place at the entrance of the office.
Due to uncertainty caused by the contagion pattern of COVID 19 not being well understood, we must make prudent choices to protect the health of our own community and the broader communities we belong to, without creating unnecessary disruptions to the activities of supporting European business community here.
This balanced approach led us to the visitor and event policies above. In shaping them, we consulted with information communicated by the local ministries and embassies, and carefully considered the decisions of major businesses around the world that are also striving to respond to this fluid situation.
These guidelines represent our best judgment, at this moment, about practical steps we can all take to reduce risk for ourselves and for each other. Because EuroCham Singapore is a community constantly on the move and always inviting people in, I know that asking you to abide by the restrictions in these new policies is non-trivial. Where we can safely consider exceptions, we have provided a process for doing so. Beyond that, I ask for everyone’s cooperation as we try to choose a sound path for us all.
Since future challenges from COVID-19 could disrupt critical functions, we have been continuously developing contingency plans. For example, we are actively developing options to switch solely to online events until it is safe to hold in-person events. Most of the team at EuroCham Singapore will be working from home, with one employee at the office to ensure business continuity. I urge each of you to think through how you can help limit risk as well, starting with shifting to virtual meetings when you can.
I know that both the spread of this disease and our decisions about it affect not only EuroCham Singapore programmes and planning, but the lives of individuals. For many of you, the steps we are taking to protect the health of the community may involve significant inconvenience and personal sacrifice. Please accept my gratitude in advance for your goodwill and understanding.
I also hope we can be sensitive to each other’s burdens in this situation and make accommodations when we can. And I count on every member of our community to make sure that the spirit of support, consideration and courage remain strong within our community.
Despite the uncertainty ahead of us, I have every confidence in our community’s ability to pull together for the common good.
Once more, let me say a big “THANK YOU” from the bottom of my heart for the continuous support you are showing us since the start of this emergency and to express my deepest appreciation to all EuroCham staff who are making sure EuroCham activities will not stop despite all the challenges and disruptions to our daily routine that we are all facing.
Sincerely,
Federico Donato, President (EuroCham Singapore)
