Month: April 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 4, 2020
ComfortDelGro waives taxi rental for one month to soften pain from COVID-19 work, school closures
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: ComfortDelGro said on Saturday (Apr 4) that it will waive taxi rental for one month to help their cabbies “tide over this incredibly difficult period” after the Government announced that all non-essential workplaces and schools will be closed to stem the spread of COVID-19. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in a live telecast on
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 4, 2020
Singapore Pools to suspend lottery draws, close outlets and online betting service
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Singapore Pools said on Saturday (Apr 4) that it will suspend all lottery draws from next week and shut down its outlets to comply with ramped up measures to curb the COVID-19 outbreak. National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said during a press conference on the COVID-19 situation on Friday that Singapore Pools would have
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 4, 2020
From a walking-stick alarm, to VR time travel: How tech can help dementia patients
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: After a long day at work, all Lucy Chan wants to do is to put her feet up when she gets home. But those moments of peace are often interrupted by her mother, Khoo Chwee Lye, whose mind might see-saw between happiness and anger within minutes. That unpredictability has been unnerving. Advertisement Advertisement “When
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 4, 2020
SAF making thousands of calls a day to contact trace, check stay-home compliance as COVID-19 fight hits ‘critical juncture’
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is making between 1,000 to 2,000 calls a day to help contact trace and check compliance with stay-home notices as the Government ramps up measures to tackle COVID-19. The daily operation, which started on Jan 28 with calls to travellers from Hubei province, involves more than 1,300 servicemen and non-uniformed personnel.
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 4, 2020
A different Qing Ming: Malaysians simplify prayer rituals amid movement control order
News Business Article
KUALA LUMPUR: This will be the first time in Mr Tuen Kong Fook’s life that he will not be honouring his family’s ancestors at their final resting place during Qing Ming Festival. For as long as he can remember, the 78-year-old has been dutifully paying respects to his deceased loved ones on this day. Advertisement Advertisement
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 4, 2020
Commentary: Bitter truths for Singapore Airlines about this aviation industry crash
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Among the casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic are millions of individuals who stand at risk of losing their livelihoods and industries on the precipice of the biggest disruption ever. The airline industry is among the most severely affected and is close to being snuffed out after travel bans and restrictions imposed by several governments
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 4, 2020
Commentary: How to stay sane in a time of COVID-19 information overload
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: The COVID-19 pandemic has put many cities around the world into lockdown, forcing millions of people to stay home until who knows when. Media use has soared. Video streaming services, such as Netflix and Disney, have had to cut bandwidth to manage the upswing in demand as users, who now find themselves advised to
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 4, 2020
With a quiet Ramadan on the cards, halal restaurants scramble to deliver
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: For years, business has been brisk at Hjh Maimunah, a popular kampung-style restaurant located in one of the city’s oldest Malay settlements, Geylang Serai. The restaurant is especially lively during Ramadan – with a record 2 million people visiting the annual Hari Raya Bazaar in the area last year. This year, for the first
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 4, 2020
WHO opens door to broader use of masks to limit spread of coronavirus
News Business Article
GENEVA/WASHINGTON: The World Health Organization on Friday (Apr 3) said that medical masks should be prioritised for health workers, but it opened the door to greater public use of homemade masks or other mouth coverings as a way to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. A senior WHO official told reporters there was some possibility of
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 4, 2020
Italy sees signs of hope despite 766 new virus deaths
News Business Article
ROME: Italy saw more evidence Friday (Apr 3) that it might have made it through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic despite the world-leading death toll growing by 766 to 14,681. In new data from the civil protection service the daily rise of officially registered infections dropped to a new low of just four per
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 3, 2020
Italy’s daily tally of coronavirus deaths and cases steady, with 766 new deaths
News Business Article
ROME: The death toll from an outbreak of the coronavirus in Italy has climbed by 766 to 14,681, the Civil Protection Agency said on Friday (Apr 3), marginally higher than the daily tally of 760 fatalities registered a day earlier. The number of new cases was slightly lower, growing by 4,585 from a previous 4,668,
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 3, 2020
Police, soldiers enforce Thailand’s nationwide COVID-19 curfew
News Business Article
BANGKOK: Police and soldiers wearing protective masks set up hundreds of checkpoints across Thailand on Friday (Apr 3) night to enforce an indefinite nationwide curfew, banning most people from outside in a bid to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. Across the normally bustling capital of Bangkok, people rushed in the evening to get
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 3, 2020
Hunt for face masks amid COVID-19 outbreak a global free-for-all
News Business Article
PARIS: From government stock seizures to sales to the highest bidder on airport tarmacs, the hunt for face masks amid the coronavirus outbreak has become a global free-for-all where the rules of fair play no longer apply. Officials worldwide were caught short by the crisis with most countries unable to manufacture the millions of masks
Commentary: The global war on COVID-19 will not have a decisive end
HONG KONG: The world is at war. The enemy is resilient, ruthless, and unpredictable, with no regard for race, nationality, ideology, or wealth. As of Apr 3, it has killed more than 52,000 people and infected over one million, from ordinary workers to the United Kingdom’s prime minister and crown prince. Advertisement Advertisement The coronavirus