Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
‘What will I live on?’: Europeans seek state aid during COVID-19 crisis
News Business Article
BERLIN: Thousands of self-employed people across Europe have found themselves without work from one day to the next as governments ordered shops shut, events cancelled and gatherings banned to stem contagion of the novel coronavirus. AFP has spoken to a cross-section of society hard hit by the ensuing economic crisis – some who have received
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
‘Escape from Tokyo’ hot topic in Japan as state of emergency looms
News Business Article
TOKYO: With just hours left on Tuesday (Apr 7) before Japan imposes a state of emergency on Tokyo and six other prefectures to contain the coronavirus, the idea of leaving the capital, or “Escape from Tokyo,” swirled on social media. Though Japan’s outbreak remains small compared with some overseas, alarm over the steady rise of
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
Bill to allow special arrangements for General Election during COVID-19 outbreak introduced in Parliament
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Voters who are in quarantine or under stay orders due to COVID-19 will be able to vote outside of their electoral districts in the upcoming General Election, in special provisions introduced for the next election, said the Elections Department (ELD) on Tuesday (Apr 7). The Parliamentary Elections (COVID-19 Special Arrangements) Bill was introduced in Parliament
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
Testing times: Pregnancy in the time of COVID-19 pandemic
News Business Article
MADRID: Pregnant with twins, Ainhoa Martinez knows she probably should be home being careful rather than putting herself at risk by serving the public every day at her boutique teashop near Madrid. With all but food shops shuttered for the past three weeks as Spain seeks to curb the spread of the virus that has
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
As morgues overflow, New York struggles with COVID-19 dead
News Business Article
NEW YORK: Refrigerator trucks parked outside hospital doors, overwhelmed undertakers, and talk about temporary burials in parks: America’s coronavirus epicenter of New York is grappling with how to deal with the dead. As the Big Apple’s death toll from COVID-19 soared to 3,485 on Monday (Mar 7), images of bodies covered in sheets being transported on
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
COVID-19: Delivery and takeaway models unsustainable, say restaurants owners
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: For the first time in its 25-year history, Swee Kee Eating House has shut its doors. It was a poignant moment for its owner, Mr Cedric Tang. He had grown up running along the shophouses at Amoy Street. The staff, many of them in their 60s who had worked there since its opening, had been there
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
Rush for masks, toilet paper slows Japan’s household spending decline
News Business Article
TOKYO: Japan’s consumer spending fell in February but at a slower-than-expected pace as households scrambled for protective masks, toilet paper and staple food amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic. But spending on travel and entertainment slumped, government data showed on Tuesday (Apr 7), a sign households were cutting back on non-essential purchases even before travel bans
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
Yes, wear a mask but when and why? Here’s what you need to know
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Wear a face mask if you’re out and about, that was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s advice in a nationally televised address on Friday (Apr 3). Some cities dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak, such as Hong Kong, have long advocated this, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has discouraged people who are healthy from
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
COVID-19: Toh Guan Dormitory declared as isolation area under Infectious Diseases Act
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Toh Guan Dormitory has been declared as an isolation area under the Infectious Diseases Act, following a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in several foreign worker dormitories across Singapore. Toh Guan Dormitory was declared as an isolation area “for the purpose of preventing the spread or possible outbreak of the infectious disease COVID-19”,
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
‘Idiot’ Kiwi health minister breaks lockdown, keeps job
News Business Article
WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s health minister described himself as “an idiot” on Tuesday (Apr 7) for breaking lockdown restrictions, but kept his job coordinating the South Pacific nation’s COVID-19 response. Health Minister David Clark said he offered his resignation to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after revealing he took a 20km drive to the beach with his
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
US coronavirus deaths pass bleak 10,000 milestone
News Business Article
WASHINGTON: Americans were put on notice on Monday (Apr 6) not to let up in the fight against the coronavirus, as a grim milestone of 10,000 deaths cast a pall over the first signs of optimism about the trajectory of the outbreak. The United States has emerged as one of the world’s worst-hit nations, with a
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
WHO warns masks are no ‘silver bullet’ for ending COVID-19 pandemic
News Business Article
GENEVA: The WHO said on Monday (Apr 6) that face masks could be justified in areas where hand-washing and physical distancing were difficult, as it teamed up with Lady Gaga to launch a giant coronavirus awareness concert. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said masks alone though were no “silver bullet” to defeating the COVID-19
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 7, 2020
World short of six million nurses: WHO
News Business Article
GENEVA: As COVID-19 captures global headlines, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday (Apr 7) that the world needs nearly six million nurses. The UN’s health agency along with partners Nursing Now and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) underscored in a report the crucial role played by nurses, who make up more than half
Commentary: Has COVID-19 made e-commerce and online shopping the new normal?
SINGAPORE: As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on worldwide, a new digital normal seems to be emerging from the disruption to regular routines and behaviours. People are working remotely, and attending classes and religious services online. Even annual mass sporting events are adapting to this new normal. People are organising their own virtual runs, where runners