Month: March 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
Singapore has ‘sizeable’ reserves it can tap into but it is important to be ‘careful stewards’: Heng Swee Keat
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Singapore has “sizeable” reserves to tap into should the COVID-19 outbreak further impact the economy, but it is important to be “careful stewards” of the resources, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat on Friday (Mar 27). Speaking to CNA’s Otelli Edwards on News 5 Tonight, Mr Heng said: “As
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
COVID-19 Budget measures ‘welcome’, but may not be enough to save F&B sector: Business owners
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Where there used to be crowds of office workers and tourists, lunch hour along Jalan Pisang was quiet on Friday (Mar 27), as fears over the spread of COVID-19 kept diners away. Food and beverage (F&B) businesses, like Lina’s Cafe, have been hit especially hard, with customer footfall dropping by up to 60 per cent, according
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
SingPost say 3 employees infected with COVID-19 did not have contact with public
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SINGAPORE: National postman Singapore Post said on Friday (Mar 27) that a contract staff and two full-time employees at its packet-processing facility at SingPost Centre have tested positive for COVID-19, and that cleaning and disinfecting is underway. The three individuals are not postmen and do not have contact with members of the public in their
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
British PM Boris Johnson, health minister Matt Hancock test positive for COVID-19
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LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self isolating but will still lead the government’s response to the outbreak. “Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus,” Johnson said. Advertisement Advertisement “I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
COVID-19 aviation support package will help industry ride out crisis: Analysts
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SINGAPORE: Analysts have welcomed the S$750 million of support set aside by the Government for the aviation sector, noting that it will help the industry recover more quickly from the blow dealt to it by COVID-19. On Thursday (Mar 26), Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced a S$48.4 billion package – up to S$17 billion
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
COVID-19: Eligible self-employed workers to receive S$9,000 in quarterly cash payouts under new income relief scheme
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Around 88,000 people will automatically benefit from a new income relief scheme introduced to tide self-employed workers over the current period of uncertainty, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Friday (Mar 27). Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the Government would do all it could to stabilise the economy, as
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
COVID-19: Schools to conduct home-based learning once a week from April
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SINGAPORE: From April, students in primary and secondary schools as well as junior colleges and centralised institutes will have one day of home-based learning a week, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Friday (Mar 27). The move comes amid an increase in the number of imported COVID-19 cases in Singapore and enhanced measures to
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
Indonesia COVID-19 plans ‘in tatters’ as infections surge
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JAKARTA: Indonesia’s coronavirus crisis is far worse than being officially reported and the government’s response is “in tatters”, the country’s doctors association warned Friday (Mar 27) as the death toll climbed to 87. The world’s fourth-most populous country only reported its first confirmed infection this month but by Thursday, that had ballooned to over 1,000.
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
130 new COVID-19 cases in Malaysia, death toll rises to 26
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported 130 new COVID-19 cases on Friday (Mar 27), bringing the country’s total to 2,161. “A total of 54 positive cases are being treated in the intensive care unit, of which 34 are in need of ventilators,” Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah said. Advertisement Advertisement He added that 44 more patients have been discharged on Friday,
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
Hand sanitiser collection centre locations revised: Temasek Foundation
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: The number of collection centres that Singaporean households can collect hand sanitiser from in Temasek Foundation’s distribution initiative has been revised. In a media release on Friday (Mar 27), it said that the revision was in view of the enhanced safe distancing measures, as well as the crowd situation. Advertisement Advertisement READ: All Singapore households to receive
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
Hard times: Jakarta’s e-hailing riders see sharp dip in earnings, fear infection amid COVID-19 pandemic
News Business Article
JAKARTA: Mr Imam Riady misses Jakarta’s notorious traffic jams. For the motorcycle taxi driver, the city’s gridlock was a sign that it was bustling with workers looking for the fastest ride to and from work. Advertisement Advertisement But the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. For the last two weeks, most offices in the Indonesian capital
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
COVID-19: Malaysia has rice stocks for 2.5 months as Vietnam curbs exports
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has enough rice to last two and a half months, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry told Reuters on Friday (Mar 27), after Vietnam suspended exports to feed its own people amid the COVID-19 epidemic. Vietnam, the third largest rice exporter, on Wednesday said it would not sign any new rice export
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 27, 2020
Malaysia unveils RM250 billion economic stimulus package as COVID-19 cases surge
News Business Article
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has announced an economic stimulus package worth RM250 billion (US$58 billion) on Friday (Mar 27) to weather the impact of COVID-19. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a televised address that the stimulus package comprises special allowances for healthcare providers, one-off cash aid and microcredit scheme for small- and medium-size enterprises, among others. Advertisement Advertisement
Commentary: Partying and picnicking with friends? Your complacency this COVID-19 outbreak is misplaced
CARLISLE, Pennsylvania: As COVID-19 fans across the globe, some people have been more complacent about the risk of contracting the virus than others. On Mar 21, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was apoplectic after photographs emerged of New Yorkers congregating in parks, apparently ignoring mandates for social distancing. Advertisement Advertisement “It’s insensitive, it’s arrogant, it’s