7 April marks a special day in Singapore’s history – the start of a circuit breaker back in 2020 to combat the increasing number of Covid-19 cases. While the circuit breaker was initially supposed to end on 4 May, it was extended till the 1st of June.
For what seemed like an eternity, the circuit breaker only took place for less than 2 months. And during those 2 months, Singaporeans embarked on various activities to make their days seem more “normal” and bearable.
Here are some highlights during the circuit breaker. Prepare yourself for some major #throwback vibes!
Dalgona Coffee
The representative drink for the circuit breaker: Dalgona Coffee.
This Korean drink went viral after it made its rounds around Tiktok and Instagram, where people had to whip vigorously to achieve an almost meringue texture.
Throughout the circuit breaker, new versions of the drink kept popping up with local twists such as Milo Dalgona and Bandung Dalgona.
The Dalgona Coffee also kickstarted the home café trend in Singapore, where people made café-looking (and tasting) drinks right in the comfort of their own home.
Home Baking & Cooking
Remember the empty shelves back when the circuit breaker was first announced? Well, that was only the beginning.
During the circuit breaker, recipes for basque burnt cheesecakes and homemade bubble tea were all the rage which resulted in a shortage of ingredients such as cream cheese, flour, vanilla essence, and brown sugar.
Rice cooker recipes were also all the rage during circuit breaker.
Basically, everyone was a Masterchef during this period (or was trying to be one).
Home Workouts
Since gyms were closed, we had to resort to home workouts. Everyone was buying yoga mats and working out together using Zoom. For some people, this was the period they exercised the most, but also the period where they ate the most.
Working From Home
After nearly a year, it has been announced that Working From Home will no longer be the default mode of working.
Businesses were struggling to convert everything online, with everyone installing Zoom and Skype on their laptops. We probably spent the first few minutes of each meeting asking how’s everyone and constantly repeating “Hello, can you hear me?”
Working from Home also made us miss our colleagues more and the small things that we used to do in the office such as going to the pantry and interacting with one another.
But the good thing is that we now realised, most meetings could’ve been just emails. The bad? Lots of us were struggling with work-life balance.
Online Games
Since we couldn’t meet up with friends during CB, we turned to online games such as Skribbl. There were even apps where you could join your friends for a quick session of karaoke!
One of the most memorable games was Among Us, which led to a surge of memes and Tiktoks. It was also where we learned the word ‘sus’ which is short for suspicious.
Animal Crossing
Another game that went viral during the circuit breaker was Animal Crossing.
Since we were trapped in our homes, Animal Crossing offered a way for us to interact with our friends in the game by visiting their islands. It also allowed people to do everyday activities like shopping, running outside and more.
Prices for Nintendo Switch skyrocketed, and it was difficult to get one as well.
Circuit Breaker in Singapore 2020
Now that we look back, the circuit breaker that happened in 2020 wasn’t that bad. It allowed us to explore ourselves more, spend more time with family. It also enabled us to think outside the box on how to hang out with friends.
What were some of your favourite moments during CB? Let us know!
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