Oh look - another article on Singaporean Covid-19 success

At New Daily, they talk about the widespread body temperature scanning used in Singapore:

In the Asian city-state, anyone entering a public building, including offices or shopping centres, must first have their temperatures scanned at the doors.

Melbourne lawyer Henry Carlson, who is living in Singapore, said the devices looked like a remote control.

“They point it at your forehead, like a laser, then they click it and it shows your temperature,” Mr Carlson told The New Daily. 

If a person’s temperature is normal, they are given a sticker to wear that indicates they are healthy, he said.

If not, they must sit on an ‘isolation chair’ while they cool down.

If they fail again, they are refused entry and must go home.

And it’s not just happening in public buildings – waiters have been spotted with scan guns, too.

“I went for a burger and beers on Friday with some mates when one of the waiters came around with a temperature scanner,” Mr Carlson said.

“They scanned my forehead just as I was about to order.”

Gosh.   Can you imagine some Australia hot heads (a pun) accepting a waiter telling them they need to leave because their temperature is too high?  

And if people are isolated at home in Singapore, how do they check up on them?:

Smart technology is also being used to monitor people who have been ordered to stay home in self-isolation for 14 days.

At-risk or infected people who are meant to be staying at home receive a text message or phone call at various times during the day asking for a photo or GPS update of their location.

Fantastic.   I wonder if Singapore has legislative cover for this, or do they just assume cultural compliance?   (I suspect the former.)  

And how much are these infra red body thermometers, which I think teachers here should be using on their kids?   It appears you can get a good one for about $100 (although ebay has some at the suss price of under $10!).

The political lesson of Singapore would seem to be this - you can have a safe, functioning society that deals quickly and efficiency with novel viral threats, but not if you're in one which puts libertarian principles on a pedestal above safety.   

Libertarians are a menace to society.