Don't call us "non-essential"

During this COVID-19 pandemic, several industries have been affected by the new restrictions and individuals with niche careers are no exception.

On April 3, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong announced a 4 week-long circuit breaker to curb the spread of COVID-19. Businesses and workplaces that were deemed non-essential, including retail stores, gyms, and beauty salons, were forced to close until further notice. However the effect of the circuit breaker measures reaches beyond the usual industries that one might think of and has affected those who earn a livelihood through less-conventional jobs.

Regin Ho, 23, who is better known by her cosplay alias Rea Kami, is a full-time cosplayer who makes a living from fan support on websites such as Patreon and selling prints of her cosplay. She also makes guest appearances at cosplay and anime conventions where she does meet & greets and sells her cosplay merchandise.

As photography studios are now closed and social gatherings are not permitted, Rea has turned to livestreaming and new social media platforms such as TikTok. She says the cancellation of live events has affected her income by more than 50 per cent, and she sympathises with fans who can no longer support her on Patreon due to losing their jobs or being made to take unpaid leave.

“Everyone is on money-saving mode, spending and supporting small creators and artists are considered a luxury hobby. So many of us creators have been put on the back burner until the economical crisis is resolved,” Rea said.

For full-time pet-sitters Karissa Goh and Ruby Wong, they are still able to house and look after their clients’ pets but major changes have been made in line with the regulations. House visit services have temporarily ceased, and handing over pets to the boarding homes has to be done while observing social distancing.

There was also a shift in why clients engaged their pet-sitting services. Some clients were awaiting their swab test results and wanted to make sure their pets were looked after in case they had to be admitted to hospital. Other clients were frontline workers who cannot care for their pets while juggling extended working hours.

“As the weeks go by, the number of pet sitting assignments decrease gradually,” said Ruby.

As for Karissa, her income has decreased by about 50 per cent since clients usually engage pet-sitting services when they are travelling but no one is travelling in the midst of this pandemic.

According to the Ministry of Health, those who are still permitted to work as per normal during the circuit breaker make up 15 per cent of the country’s workforce. Restrictions are expected to be lifted slowly from now until the end of the circuit breaker so that businesses and services can resume as soon as possible.