Singaporean singer and host Huang Jinglun may not be experiencing the new Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) as the rest of his countrymen, but he's not resting easy where he is either.
Based in Taiwan for more than a decade, Huang admitted to feeling slightly worried over the sudden surge in cases in an interview with Shin Min Daily News on Friday (May 14).
The island is currently seeing a large spike in community transmissions of Covid-19. The number of daily domestic infections has hit 180, according to reports just in on Saturday (May 15).
With the heightened alert level, there will be a two-week clampdown on gatherings. This is in addition to the previously-announced closure of entertainment venues such as bars, clubs, karaoke lounges, saunas and internet cafes as well as teahouses in the city.
The Project Superstar alum, who lives in Taipei with his wife and seven-month-old son, is currently shooting a long-form drama. Since attaining leading man status in the entertainment industry there, the 38-year-old has been kept busy work-wise.
According to Huang, the drama production schedule has not been disrupted with the latest news. He shared that when it comes to Covid-19 measures, the production unit is "serious about it" and "very strict".
When not in front of cameras, all actors and crew members are required to put on their masks. Temperature-taking is also a requirement before the start of each shoot and before meal times.
Despite the precautions taken, Huang still fears that he may potentially expose his wife and child to the virus. With his hectic schedule, he's more tired physically and thus his level immunity may be affected, said Huang.
Naturally, the first-time dad is most worried for his infant son, who had already battled a bout of sickness just a month after he returned home from the hospital.
"The first thing I do when I return home is to wash my hands, and I won't touch anything unnecessarily, in case it's contaminated."
Huang, who texts his family in Singapore regularly, said he's still more worried for them due to the current situation.
Anxious But Not Panicked
Former Mediacorp actor Jeff Wang, who's Taiwanese, said he is anxious, but not to the extent of panicking yet.
Wang, who's also filming a drama in the southern part of the island, shared that filming began in April and will likely continue till August.
Work hasn't been easy with the summer heat reaching a scorching 38 degree Celcius outdoors, along with the long workday of up to 15 hours. But Wang remains grateful that production has not been halted despite the circumstances.
"We get our temperature taken every 15 minutes on set. Now with the situation worsening, maybe it'll be every 10 minutes," said the 45-year-old Taiwanese, who left Singapore more than a decade ago to pursue greener pastures in his home country.
He shared that the director has emphasised the importance of "loving oneself and loving others" when it comes to observing safety measures on set. "He added that those who don't co-operate can leave immediately."
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Due to the pandemic, many events and concerts in Taiwan have either been cancelled or postponed. Taiwanese celeb Lang Tsu Yun recently got flak for expressing her unhappiness over restrictions affecting her drama production, but Wang believes they were spoken in the heat of the moment.
"We can't be selfish and think only for ourselves," said Wang, adding that "the person will be guilty for life if someone gets the virus and dies because the show carried on".
On Saturday (May 15), Taiwan raised its Covid-19 alert level for Taipei and New Taipei City after the 180 domestic cases were reported. It's a large jump from the 29 new cases reported on Friday and 16 cases on Wednesday, which sparked fears of another lockdown.
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
Lead image source from Instagram / zaiwang107 and jisadpoppy.
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