The last few months have been intense and exhausting; and yet this has been a time of camaraderie and teamwork like never before, a time that has brought out the best in many.

There are those who have volunteered for frontline duties without a moment's hesitation (with some even calling to ask why they hadn't been rostered for duty yet), and those who have gamely learnt new skills (like how to do a nasopharyngeal swab, or how to 'don and doff' that all important PPE).

There are those who work long hours issuing quarantine orders across Singapore, and those whose hours as Safe Distancing Ambassadors are equally long.

Behind the scenes, away from the public eye , there are those who pack quarantine kits, those who do detective work as contact tracers - and those who make sure each of the individual parts runs smoothly - as they must. Working through weekends and public holidays, late into the night - this is well and truly part of our new normal.

I have been touched, but not surprised, by the care and concern members of my team have shown for each other - frayed nerves, and desperate tiredness notwithstanding, there always was someone looking out for someone else.

I've seen the compassion and integrity with which work is being done - people doing the right thing (even when it meant more work) not the easy thing - I truly believe this is what will get us through these extraordinary times. And this is the spirit that makes me so proud to be part of this team.

While numbers, data, esoteric graphs and dashboards are important to guide our actions, equally important is that element of human connection - between colleagues, between the multitude of people across the different organisations involved in this national response - and between those of us who serve and the people we serve. The team's work has taken us into migrant workers' dorms and quarantine facilities - despite the language barriers and the difficult environment, I have seen how communicating with respect and empathy has helped melt away some of the fear that was evident in the migrant workers' eyes.

This set of photos captures just a sliver of the ongoing work we at the Health Promotion Board have been a part of. When this is done (and yes, this too shall pass), I think we can look back with a sense of pride that we were privileged to be right here in the trenches, on the frontline, making a difference - and that we were not passive observers.

I am sure too that we will carry with us many of the inherent values that have come to the fore - resilience, person-centricity, integrity, compassion, purpose - to our post-COVID lives, and we will be all the better for this experience.