Across the world, countries are going under lockdown or partial lockdown, and while they’re all designed to restrict public movement to ‘flatten the curve’ of infections, some countries have given the lockdowns different code names.
In Singapore, we have now entered our fifth week of Circuit Breaker – the name of our partial lockdown – which is due to end on 1 June. Other countries have given different names to their versions – some coined during Covid-19, and some instituting preexisting state of emergency measures.
Here are some other countries with lockdown codes:
Philippines: Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ)
16 March – 31 May: Philippines has imposed an ECQ) in Luzon (including its associated islands), which effectively a total lockdown, restricting the movement of the population except for necessity, work, and health circumstances. This is different to the community quarantine in Metro Manila and the rest of the country.
Indonesia: PSBB (Pembatasan Sosial Berskala Besar) or Large Scale Social Restriction)
From 7 April: This is a limitation of specific activities of a particular region that is suspected of COVID-19 infection, with closures of schools and workplace as well as restrictions on public gatherings and public transport. The PSBB period is 14 days which is extended for an extra 14 days from the date of the last case found.
Malaysia: MCO (Movement Control Order)
16 March – 9 June: The country’s Movement Control Order falls under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 and the Police Act 1967, and with it comes the restrictions on all public gatherings, closure of non-essential businesses, and restricted travel.
India: Operation SHIELD
Officially, India’s under lockdown, but it is also implementing Operation SHIELD – sealing, home quarantine, isolation and tracing, essential supplies, local sanitation and door-to-door health checks – which is being carried out in all containment areas categorised as Red Zones.
USA: Shelter in Place
Since 19 March: The term “shelter in place” is used in situations when authorities ask the public to seek protection from storms or other threats by remaining in their homes. These are legal orders often with the potential for fines or imprisonment if violated. Only 2 states have adopted such measures: California (18 March) and New York (22 March).
While the world ‘lockdown’ may send people panicking, some countries are giving alternative names to their various control measures. As different countries are in various stages of lockdown in the hopes of flattening the curve, we hope that we can all emerge safely from this global threat.
