Asian Legal Review

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

South Korea is holding the biggest election since the coronavirus pandemic spread around the globe – and it might spur other world leaders with good poll numbers to follow suit.Surveys show President Moon Jae-in’s Democratic Party of Korea set to win elections for 300 parliament seats on Wednesday, after his government’s popularity increased following its handling of the virus in what was initially one of the world’s hardest-hit countries. New infection rates have fallen this month to their…

The United States has returned US$300 million to Malaysia that prosecutors say was stolen in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB corruption scandal, authorities announced on Tuesday.The money comes from assets forfeited last year by financier Jho Low in a Los Angeles federal settlement. The settlement covered assets that included a Manhattan penthouse, a Beverly Hills mansion, a Beverly Hills boutique hotel, a luxury jet and paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.1MDB whistle-blower flees…

Australian officials are investigating whether an illegal social gathering of health workers is behind a spike in coronavirus cases in the island state of Tasmania, as the government forecast national unemployment to hit 10 per cent by midyear.Tasmania Premier Pete Gutwein said on Tuesday there has been a 50 per cent spike in the state’s Covid-19 cases since Thursday, even as the rate of reported new infections continued to significantly slow across the rest of the country.Uruguay begins…