Month: March 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 21, 2020
The United Kingdom is closed: PM Boris Johnson shutters pubs and restaurants
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LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson effectively closed down the United Kingdom on Friday (Mar 20), ordering pubs, restaurants, theatres, cinemas and gyms to shut their doors in a bid to slow down the accelerating spread of the coronavirus. As the coronavirus outbreak sweeps across the world, governments, companies and investors are grappling with the biggest
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 21, 2020
Jogging, park walks banned as alarmed Italian regions impose more coronavirus restrictions
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ROME: Italian regions struggling to contain a coronavirus crisis imposed further restrictions on Friday (Mar 20), with one banning walks in parks and another prohibiting jogging and bike rides as the national death toll surpassed that of China. “We already have many hundreds of dead. What more is needed before people understand the tragedy we
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 21, 2020
40 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, including 30 imported infections
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SINGAPORE: Singapore on Friday (Mar 20) confirmed 40 new COVID-19 cases, of which 30 are imported infections. This increase takes the national total to 385 cases. Advertisement Advertisement Of the 30 imported cases, 22 of them are Singapore citizens or permanent residents. Seven others have long-term passes while one case has a short-term visit pass. Many of
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 21, 2020
All events, gatherings with 250 participants or more must be suspended to reduce further COVID-19 spread: MOH
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SINGAPORE: All events and gatherings with 250 or more participants attending at any one time must be suspended to reduce the risk of further local transmission of COVID-19, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Friday (Mar 20). This is an expansion of the previous requirement for ticketed cultural, sports and entertainment events to be
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 21, 2020
Measures for safe distancing rolled out at retail, F&B sectors to prevent COVID-19 spread
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SINGAPORE: Retailers and food and beverage (F&B) outlets should ensure there is enough space in between customers lining up in queues, encourage them to use self-checkouts and limit the number of shoppers within stores. These are some of the new safe distancing measures announced on Friday (Mar 20) to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Advertisement Advertisement Multiple government agencies
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 21, 2020
Commentary: Flattened the curve for now but Hong Kong braces for a second coronavirus wave
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HONG KONG: The first half of March saw Hong Kong people’s attempt in bringing the city’s life back to normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic. There are more people out in the streets, mostly wearing face masks. Many companies and the government have reduced the work-from-home arrangements and are getting people back to the office. Queues
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 21, 2020
Italy coronavirus deaths surge by 627 in a day, lifting total death toll to 4,032
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ROME: The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has leapt by 627 to 4,032, officials said on Friday (Mar 20), an increase of 18.4 per cent – by far the largest daily rise in absolute terms since the contagion emerged a month ago. On Thursday, Italy overtook China as the country to
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 21, 2020
Singapore launches TraceTogether mobile app to boost COVID-19 contact tracing efforts
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SINGAPORE: A new mobile application called TraceTogether was launched on Friday (Mar 20) to support ongoing contact tracing efforts amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore. By downloading the app and consenting to participate in it, TraceTogether allows users to “proactively help” in the contact tracing process, according to a joint press release. Advertisement Advertisement The TraceTogether
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
Brazil calls COVID-19 state of emergency as Bolsonaro approval slips
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BRASILIA/SAO PAULO: Brazil declared a state of emergency on Friday (Mar 20), freeing up funds for the federal government to fight the coronavirus pandemic, as President Jair Bolsonaro’s popularity declined over his handling of the crisis. The Senate approved a measure letting the government waive fiscal targets this year, with senators voting remotely after two
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
Chaos over new Thai entry restrictions on coronavirus
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BANGKOK: Confusion over Thailand’s new coronavirus curbs left travellers scrambling on Friday (Mar 20) as Thai citizens queued at embassies abroad to get special travel papers and foreigners faced the challenge of producing a negative test for the disease. Testing kits are limited in most countries, especially to people who appear healthy – meaning the
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
300 million children missing school meals due to virus closures: World Food Programme
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GENEVA: Around 300 million children who depend on school meals are missing out due to closures triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, the World Food Programme said Friday (Mar 20). The WFP pointed out that more than 860 million children – roughly half the world’s student population – were having to stay away from schools and universities due
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
Thai cafe serves coffee on wheels to maintain social distance amid COVID-19 outbreak
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BANGKOK: A cafe in Thailand has started using a pulley system to serve coffee on wheels as COVID-19 infections force businesses to practice social distancing. Thailand has reported more than 300 coronavirus cases since January, but more than half were found this week alone, heightening fears of contracting the disease through physical contact. Advertisement Advertisement
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
Californians ordered to stay home; New York pleads for urgent help to fight coronavirus
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LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK : Nearly 40 million Californians have been ordered to stay at home as part of efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus and New York’s mayor on Friday (Mar 20) renewed his pleas for US President Donald Trump to mobilize the military for additional medical personnel and supplies. The pandemic has already
Commentary: COVID-19 outbreak has overworked some but left more with little to do
LONDON: “It’s really quiet,” said the proprietor of Oxford’s best falafel stall when I popped over to buy lunch on Monday. It is even quieter now. Meanwhile, my wife emailed friends to ask if we could help. Both of them are doctors and they have three children and a parent undergoing treatment for cancer. Advertisement