Singapore: Man on mask mission, neighbour with kampung spirit - new book showcases unsung Covid-19 heroes

Jayakumar Manickam (right) with the head of supplies of a mask factory in Bengaluru, India, in January 2020. - The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE, Jan 20 (The Straits Times/ANN): First he was told he had just three hours to catch a flight to India, where he would stay for nine days of work. Then he returned to Singapore, only to be asked to fly off again the very next day.

As a manager at ST Logistics who had not gone overseas in the 27 years prior, Jayakumar Manickam was not your typical jet-setting employee. But "without a second thought", he was prepared to go where he was sent - to procure surgical face masks for Singapore at the start of 2020.