Migrant workers from West Java, Indonesia’s most populous province, have been urged not to return home from overseas or elsewhere in the country to help curb the spread of the coronavirus after more than 100,000 residents streamed back in the past few weeks.“Mudik [the act of returning to hometowns or villages] is going to worsen our situation. Please stay where you are for the time being,” said Ridwan Kamil, the governor of West Java, which is home to some 50 million people.His comments came…
Samsung says chip factory worker tests positive for virus, output not affected
Samsung Electronics said on Tuesday that one of its chip factory workers in South Korea had tested positive for coronavirus, but its output has not been affected.This is the first time a Samsung chip factory employee has tested positive for the virus, although several confirmed cases at the tech giant’s smartphone factory in South Korea’s southeastern city of Gumi resulted in a temporary suspension.Chip factories have been largely unaffected by the pandemic which started in China, although…
Coronavirus: Indonesia’s Widodo plans stricter social distancing rules as thousands flee Jakarta
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo on Monday said he planned to implement stricter rules on mobility and social distancing, as thousands of people stream back to the country’s provinces from Jakarta, the epicentre of the country’s coronavirus outbreak. “I’m [now] ordering large-scale social limits, physical distancing needs to be done more sternly, more disciplined, and effectively,” Widodo told a cabinet meeting, stressing that only the central government could decide on regional quarantines.
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Coronavirus: for crazy rich Asians, private islands offer the ultimate quarantine (and they’re cheaper than you think)
While the coronavirus outbreak has left many people self-quarantining in flats of just a few hundred square feet, super-rich Asians have a more appealing option for refuge: their own private island. Sales agents say they have been flooded with enquiries from Asia’s wealthiest seeking an investment that can serve as both a bolt-hole from the raging pandemic and a long-term investment. What is more, while some of these private idylls sell for up to US$100 million, some go for as little as US$55…
Coronavirus tsunami could drown Southeast Asia, with its effects rippling across the globe
In Southeast Asia, a region of some 655 million people, a humanitarian catastrophe looms as the Covid-19 pandemic advances and economies falter. The number of officially confirmed cases across the region is lower than the hardest-hit parts of the world. But these numbers are accelerating and the reported figures will represent only a fraction of the true number of infections. Even if the virus proves to do less well in warm climates, Southeast Asia has all the ingredients for larger-scale…
New Chinese research may point to possible role of children in coronavirus spread
Children tend to get less severe symptoms when they contract Covid-19 and cases can be harder to detect than in adults, new research in China has found, as health experts, parents and officials weigh the risks of sending their kids to school.A study of 36 cases in children in the eastern province of Zhejiang found that 10 – or 28 per cent – had no symptoms, while seven had mild upper respiratory symptoms, according to a paper published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on Wednesday.Separate…
Coronavirus: for Malaysia’s new leader Muhyiddin, a deadly litmus test
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s first month on the job has been a tortuous one: a health epidemic, economic woes and a powerful opposition force threatening a no-confidence motion in parliament are among the crises he has been faced with.Having come to power on the heels of a political coup that saw the shock resignation of the previous prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, the breakdown of former ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan after just 21 months of rule and the nation’s king…
Coronavirus: Vietnam stockpiles rice as outbreak spreads and food security concerns grow
Vietnam said on Friday that it plans to stockpile rice and suspend new rice export contracts through the end of the month to ensure it can feed its 97 million population through the coronavirus crisis.The country is the world’s third-largest exporter of rice, behind India and Thailand. In an update on its website, the Finance Ministry said Vietnam’s state reserves department planned to have 190,000 metric tonnes of rice in storage by June 15.The move comes amid worldwide food security concerns…
Coronavirus: why so few infections in Singapore’s health workers?
Uncooperative patients, long hours and a lack of protective equipment are hampering health care workers across the world as they take the fight to the coronavirus, leading many to fall sick themselves.In Malaysia, a pregnant woman who did not disclose that her father was infected tested positive after giving birth, leading to the shutdown of the entire hospital for cleaning. In the Philippines, nine doctors have died, two of whom had dealt with a patient who lied about her travel history.In…
Coronavirus: K-pop band BTS postpones US, Canada tour over outbreak
South Korea’s boy band BTS will postpone its North America tour by two months to June due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, its management said on Friday.The seven-member K-pop hit group was expected to begin its tours in the United States and Canada on April 25, in Santa Clara, including stops in Los Angeles, Dallas, Orlando, Atlanta, New Jersey, Washington and Toronto before wrapping up in Chicago.It is now rescheduled to kick off on June 6, Big Hit Entertainment said, adding all…