Grounded Singapore Cabin Crew Retraining As Coronavirus 'Ambassadors' to Help Communities (Video)

Furloughed cabin crew in Singapore are finding a second wind in their new jobs as coronavirus “ambassadors.”

This week, Singapore entered a monthlong total lockdown. After successfully containing the virus for months, the island city-state now has more than 1,375 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

And while aircraft are grounded due to travel bans and restrictions, former airline workers are being transitioned to new roles to help combat the coronavirus pandemic to serve the public. During their furlough, some are paired with enforcement officers and stationed on public housing estates. Their job is to dissuade public gatherings and inform people on ways to help prevent the spread of infection.

“In our field we are seen as leaders,” Pilot Jonathan Lau told Reuters. “When we perform our roles as ambassadors, we can lead by educating the public about safe distancing.”

Other former airline workers are training to care for patients in hospitals, according to Straits Times. These “care ambassadors” will be assigned to low-risk wards, helping with basic caregiving, nutritional care and patient service management.

Singapore Airlines announced it will supply at least 300 of its temporarily furloughed employees who have applied for the program. They will help “fill the manpower gap for the care of other patients as hospital nurses are re-directed from their original duties to care for patients infected with COVID-19,” according to Channel News Asia.

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The information in this article reflects that of the publishing time above. However, as statistics and information regarding coronavirus rapidly change, some figures may be different from when this story was originally posted. While we strive to keep our content as up to date as possible, we also recommend visiting sites like the CDC or websites of local health departments.