Month: March 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
Thailand to require all travellers to obtain health certificate for entry
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BANGKOK: From Sunday (Mar 22), all travellers – both Thai and foreign – will need to acquire a health certificate before entering Thailand as the country stepped up its efforts to control the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. On Mar 19, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) issued guidelines for air operators that provide services to passengers travelling
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
UK can turn tide of coronavirus spread ‘within 12 weeks’: PM Johnson
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LONDON: Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday (Mar 19) said he was confident the country can slow the spread of coronavirus in the next three months through tough measures to cut social contact. The government earlier this week called for more people to work from home, and avoid public transport, pubs, clubs and restaurants, to try
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
Exhausted Dutch minister leading coronavirus fight quits
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AMSTERDAM: The minister leading the Dutch government’s fight against the coronavirus resigned on Thursday (Mar 19), a day after collapsing from exhaustion during a parliamentary debate on the epidemic. Medical Care Minister Bruno Bruins, 56, fell to the floor in parliament on Wednesday while taking questions. He said he had fainted after weeks of intense
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
Prince Albert of Monaco tests positive for coronavirus
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NICE, France: Prince Albert of Monaco has tested positive for coronavirus but his health is not a cause for concern, his office said on Thursday (Mar 19). “Prince Albert is continuing to work from the office in his private apartments,” it said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement The office said that Prince Albert is in
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
Slovakia gets face masks, coronavirus test kits from China
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BRATISLAVA: A Slovak government plane with a million surgical face masks and 100,000 rapid-result test kits for the new coronavirus arrived in Bratislava on Thursday (Mar 19) to alleviate the shortage faced by local authorities, social and health workers. Slovakia, a country of 5.5 million, has reported 124 cases of the virus and has taken
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
32 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, 75% of which are imported
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Singapore Returning residents and long-term pass holders accounted for all 24 of the new imported COVID-19 cases in Singapore today, MOH said. Commuters wearing face masks on an MRT train in Singapore, Mar 18, 2020. (Photo: Catherine Lai) 19 Mar 2020 08:42PM(Updated: 19 Mar 2020 09:58PM) Bookmark SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (Mar 19)
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
‘Special arrangement’ made to fly Singaporeans, PRs back home from UK amid COVID-19 outbreak
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SINGAPORE: A “special arrangement” has been made between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Singapore Airlines (SIA) to fly Singaporeans and Singapore permanent residents (PRs) home amid the COVID-19 outbreak. In a Facebook post on Thursday (Mar 19), the Singapore High Commission in London said it has struck an “exclusive ticket arrangement” with SIA to
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
Indonesia’s COVID-19 deaths jump to 25, the highest in Southeast Asia
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JAKARTA: Indonesia announced six more COVID-19 deaths on Thursday (Mar 19), taking the death toll to 25, a health ministry official said. This is the highest COVID-19 death toll in Southeast Asia. Advertisement Advertisement “There are five new deaths in Jakarta and one in Central Java,” Mr Achmad Yurianto, the government’s spokesperson for the COVID-19 pandemic, said
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 20, 2020
COVID-19 cases in Malaysia hit 900 with 110 new infections
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PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia on Thursday (Mar 19) reported 110 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total in the country to 900, said Health Minister Adham Baba. Of the new cases, 63 are linked to the tabligh (religious) gathering at a mosque in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. Advertisement Advertisement The event, attended by 16,000 people, has also led to infections in neighbouring
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
India PM Modi orders one-day nationwide virus curfew
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NEW DELHI: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (Mar 19) appealed to the 1.3 billion population to follow a one-day curfew alongside a ban on international flight arrivals to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Modi said in an address to the nation that the curfew on Sunday from 7am to 9pm would test the giant country’s
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
COVID-19 whistleblower doctor punished ‘inappropriately’: Chinese probe
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BEIJING: Police in China’s virus epicentre Wuhan acted “inappropriately” by punishing a doctor who blew the whistle on the outbreak that has now killed more than 9,000 worldwide, a Chinese government investigation found on Thursday (Mar 19). Li Wenliang, one of a group of doctors in Wuhan who shared posts on social media warning of a
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
London stations close as UK tries to halt virus spread
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LONDON: Transport officials in the British capital closed dozens of London Underground stations on Thursday (Mar 19), as the city tries to stem the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The move, alongside other measures to scale back public transport across London, came as the government placed 20,000 troops on standby to help in the fight against
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Delhi bus gang-rapists to hang on Friday: Lawyer
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NEW DELHI: Four men convicted of the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a New Delhi student will be executed on Friday (Mar 20), the victim’s lawyer said after a court dismissed a final last-minute petition to delay the hangings. The brutal attack on Jyoti Singh aboard a city bus sparked nationwide demonstrations and shone a
Commentary: Organisers may have little choice than to cancel the Tokyo Olympics
SINGAPORE: On Tuesday (Mar 17), it was announced that one of the biggest sporting events in the world, football’s European Championships, will be postponed from this summer to June 2021. The decision to postpone the quadrennial tournament, which was due to be staged in 12 European cities and had received 28.3 million ticket requests by