For six years, Leo*, a 29-year old Filipino man, managed to keep the fact that he had been infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) from his family.But that secret was exposed in the worst possible manner last month, when a traffic officer at a checkpoint in Manila, installed due to the coronavirus lockdown, shouted it out for all the world to hear.Like 50 million other people in the Philippines, Leo has been affected by the lockdown imposed by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on…
Coronavirus: Malaysian workers in Singapore in a quandary after being told to go on unpaid leave
When the Malaysian Movement Control Order (MCO) took effect on March 18, Cannie Leo scrambled to secure a S$800 (US$561) room in Woodlands with a friend, so that she could continue working for a construction firm in Singapore.Weeks later, Singapore announced that it was implementing its circuit breaker on April 7, which required all “non-essential” businesses to cease operations for a month.Leo’s employers asked her to take a month of unpaid leave, and the 27-year-old administrative assistant…
Singapore’s Temasek rebuts claim CEO Ho Ching gets S$100 million salary
Temasek Holdings denied speculation that Chief Executive Officer Ho Ching makes S$100 million (US$70 million) a year.“This claim is false,” the Singapore state investor said in a rare statement addressing the pay of the top executive, who’s also Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife.“Furthermore, Ho Ching’s annual compensation is neither the highest within Temasek, nor is she amongst the top five highest-paid executives in Temasek.”Temasek manages a portfolio that’s valued at S$313 billion as…
As coronavirus cases surge, can Singapore’s health care system handle the pressure?
As Singapore experiences a drastic spike in Covid-19 cases – which grew tenfold over March to hit 1,000 on April 1, then rose almost sixfold to 5,992 as of Saturday – the authorities are on alert to ensure the health care system can withstand this growing pressure.Experts such as infectious diseases specialist Leong Hoe Nam say hospitals can cope for now, but they are concerned about admissions outpacing the number of discharged patients.As of Saturday, there were 2,563 coronavirus patients in…
Coronavirus: Japanese hospitals feel the strain of new wave of infections
Hospitals in Japan are increasingly turning away sick people as the country struggles with surging coronavirus infections and its emergency medical system collapses.In one recent case, an ambulance carrying a man with a fever and difficulty breathing was rejected by 80 hospitals and forced to search for hours for a hospital in downtown Tokyo that would treat him. Another feverish man finally reached a hospital after paramedics unsuccessfully contacted 40 clinics.The Japanese Association for…
Coronavirus: in Indonesia, fears over Bali’s laid-back approach
The Indonesian resort island of Bali has declined to introduce strict measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, despite several other regions of the country doing so, raising fears it could rapidly spread and cause far more infections and deaths. The capital Jakarta was the first to mandate large-scale social restrictions, known by the acronym PSBB, which include compulsory social distancing, the use of face masks in public, limited public transport, the closure of public areas,…
Australia could keep coronavirus restrictions in place for a year, PM says
Australian public life could be constrained for another year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned on Friday, as the country’s most populous state mulled sending children to school in shifts.Australia has so far avoided the high numbers of coronavirus casualties reported around the world after closing its borders and imposing strict “social distancing” measures for the past month.Restaurants, bars and other “non-essential” businesses have closed and public…
When it comes to coronavirus deaths, could Indonesia be Southeast Asia’s Italy?
The figures coming out of Indonesia are grim – 469 dead from Covid-19, the highest fatality count in Asia outside China, and another 5,136 people infected.But in the nation’s capital Jakarta, where two thirds of the country’s cases originated, residents report young people continuing to socialise at street food stalls and cafes, despite President Joko Widodo introducing new social distancing measures on April 7.Gatherings of more than five people have been banned, there are limits on the number…
Coronavirus: Australian government urges schools to reopen, claiming children carry low risk of transmission
Australia’s federal government on Thursday urged state premiers to reopen schools as it considers how to start winding back some other restrictions on movement that have helped slow the spread of the coronavirus throughout the country.Australia has averted the high numbers of coronavirus casualties reported in other countries around the world thanks to strict “social distancing” measures and the effective closure of its borders, including internally between states.The daily rate of reported new…
Coronavirus: Singaporeans share ways to stay fed, do good and complete schoolwork amid partial lockdown
A week into Singapore’s partial lockdown to stem a third wave of coronavirus infections, residents are adjusting to a new normal, with some expressing confusion over the new social distancing laws, and worried parents posting their children’s homework online to tap on the wisdom of the masses as schools shut.Amid the anxiety, one Singapore firm has created a website, called “I Am A Community Circuit Breaker”, that collates information that people might find useful during the one-month period,…