Day: March 28, 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
IMDA debunks WhatsApp audio recording claiming COVID-19 can be spread through mail
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SINGAPORE: The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on Saturday (Mar 28) debunked an audio recording being circulated on WhatsApp claiming that COVID-19 can be spread through the mail. In a statement, an IMDA spokesperson said the recording was attributed to a Malaysian infectious diseases specialist, but that this was not true. Advertisement Advertisement “The Malaysian
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
Two police officers test positive for COVID-19
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SINGAPORE: Two police officers tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Saturday (Mar 28). One of them tested positive for the coronavirus on Mar 26 and is listed by the Ministry of Health as case 709. The other officer was diagnosed on Mar 27 and is referred to
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
France reports new spike in coronavirus deaths, bringing total to almost 2,000
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PARIS: French health authorities reported 299 new deaths from coronavirus on Friday (Mar 27), taking the total to 1,995, as the government has decided to extend by two weeks the national lockdown, now due to end on Apr 15 at the earliest. The climb in the number of deaths represents a daily rise of 18 per
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
More than 600,000 coronavirus cases recorded globally
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PARIS: More than 600,000 cases of the COVID-19 have been officially recorded around the world since the outbreak of the epidemic, according to an AFP tally on Saturday (Mar 28). There were 605,010 cases of infection with 27,982 deaths in 183 countries and territories. Advertisement Advertisement The United States had 104,837 cases of which 1,711
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
Japan’s Abe vows unprecedented stimulus as Tokyo COVID-19 cases rise
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TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday (Mar 28) promised an unprecedented package of steps to cushion the world’s third-biggest economy from the coronavirus pandemic, saying the country was close to a national emergency as infections surged. Abe said the “huge, powerful” measures will include fiscal stimulus, monetary steps and tax breaks for companies,
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
Malaysian doctor, wife and 5 children test positive for COVID-19
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KUALA LUMPUR: A family of seven has tested positive for COVID-19 in Malaysia, but the doctor, his wife and five children are staying cheerful. The siblings are quarantined at the Teluk Intan Hospital and since Friday (Mar 27), a TikTok video by one of them, 17-year-old Erika Syamim Samsu Ambia, has been trending on Twitter. Advertisement Advertisement “Even
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
Britain, US working with Saudi to repatriate citizens
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RIYADH: Saudi Arabian Airlines will begin exceptional commercial flights this week to bring British nationals and their families back to the United Kingdom, and similar flights are being arranged for US citizens to return home, both countries said. Flights to London Heathrow will begin on Sunday (Mar 29) from Riyadh and later in the week
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
Jakarta extends state of emergency after surge in coronavirus cases
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JAKARTA: Indonesia’s capital Jakarta announced a two-week extension of its state of emergency following the nationwide surge in coronavirus cases, its governor said on Saturday. Anies Baswedan told reporters on a video conference call that the state of emergency, imposed on Mar 20 to try to slow the spread of the virus in Southeast Asia’s biggest city,
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
Iran coronavirus death toll tops 2,500
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TEHRAN: Iran announced on Saturday (Mar 28) that 139 more people had died from the novel coronavirus, raising the official death toll to 2,517 in one of the world’s worst-affected countries. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told a news conference that 3,076 more cases had been confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
‘If not us, then who?’: Malaysian doctors overcome fear of infection in country’s battle against COVID-19
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JOHOR BAHRU: Since Dr Sean Thum was deployed to the frontline of Malaysia’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, his family members have been keeping a safe distance from him. Before he was transferred to Permai Hospital on Mar 13, one of Johor’s admission hospitals for suspected COVID-19 patients, the 28-year-old shared a room with his brother and
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
COVID-19: ‘Super-spreader’ guru puts Indian villages on high alert
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NEW DELHI: At least 15,000 people who may have caught the coronavirus from a “super-spreader” guru are under strict quarantine in northern India after the Sikh religious leader died of COVID-19. The 70-year-old guru, Baldev Singh, had returned from a trip to Europe’s virus epicentre Italy and Germany when he went preaching in more than a
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
Australia tightens social distancing rules to combat coronavirus, warns of fines
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MELBOURNE: Australia stepped up enforcement of social distancing rules on Saturday (Mar 28) to contain community transmission of the novel coronavirus, implementing fines, closing beaches and threatening stricter measures if people defy pleas to stay at home. The death toll from the virus rose to 14 after an elderly woman died in an aged-care facility in
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
Tokyo reports new daily record of 50 new COVID-19 cases, residents urged to stay home
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TOKYO: Tokyo has confirmed more than 50 new coronavirus infections, a record daily increase, public broadcaster NHK reported on Saturday (Mar 28) as the governor of Japan’s capital urged citizens to stay indoors. Governor Yuriko Koike’s plea followed a surge in coronavirus infections this week that she said put Tokyo on the brink of an
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 28, 2020
‘Corona criminals’ prey on Europe’s virus fears
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THE HAGUE: From trafficking dodgy surgical masks to peddling counterfeit medicines and running internet scams, criminals are finding ways to profit from the coronavirus crisis, European police warn. With billions of people under lockdown in their homes and borders shut, police chiefs say criminals are finding it hard to make money out of “traditional” activities like
