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Wet markets, hawker centres, coffee shops go quiet on Day 1 of stricter Covid-19 rules

aseanpr 22 7 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - The usual din was missing at wet markets, hawker centres and coffee shops as tighter Covid-19 safety rules kicked in on Thursday (July 22). When The Straits Times (ST) visited wet markets at Telok Blangah, Geylang Bahru, Amoy Street, Toa Payoh West and Potong Pasir in the morning, many fishmongers had closed their stalls. Stallholders have to receive a negative polymerase chain reaction test result before they can open for business. This follows the detection of Covid-19 cases linked to the Jurong Fishery Port cluster at several wet markets here. The cluster recorded a total of 454 linked cases as at Wednesday. Some of these markets have also made it mandatory for visitors to use the TraceTogether (TT) contact tracing app or token, among other stricter rules rolled out from Thursday. For instance, Geylang Bahru market has been fenced off with an orange plastic mesh, leaving only an entrance and an exit. At the entrance and exit points, a safe distancing officer was seen enforcing the use of TT to check into the venue. It was a similar set-up at two other wet markets that ST visited: Block 201C Tampines Street 21 and Telok Blangah Crescent Block 11 Market and Food Centre...

Queues continue on last day of collection for free DIY Covid-19 test kits

aseanpr 21 7 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Queues for free rapid antigen self-test kits continue to form at several venues across Singapore on the last day of their collection on Wednesday (July 21). The test kits are meant for individuals who had visited four markets and food centres - Cheng San Market and Cooked Food Centre, Chong Boon Market and Food Centre, Geylang Serai Market and Food Centre and Haig Road Market and Food Centre - in the last 14 days. They include residents living in the vicinity of these places. Distribution of the test kits had started on Tuesday at 22 community centres and residents' committee (RC) centres. Locations of these venues can be found at this website. The Straits Times understands that the centres will close at 6pm on Wednesday. There was a queue of about 20 people at Geyland Serai RC centre at around 10am on Wednesday (July 21) when ST checked the venue. The process was quick, with individuals taking about five minutes to receive their test kits. Resident Kolim Sim said that her neighbour had informed her about the collection. Ms Sim, who is waiting to receive the second shot of the vaccine, said she had not been to the Haig Road Market and Food Centre for several months. Cov...

Hari Raya Haji prayers a quiet affair at S’pore mosques, conducted with safe management measures in place

aseanpr 20 7 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - More than 18,000 people flocked to mosques across Singapore on Tuesday (July 20) for their congregational Hari Raya Haji prayers. It was a quiet affair compared with pre-pandemic times, when more than 66,000 congregants across the 66 mosques - 1,000 per mosque on average - here would mark the day. Prayers were conducted with full safe management measures in place. Nineteen mosques offered multiple zones of 50 spaces for congregants who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or have undergone pre-event testing, while 47 mosques could only take 50 people in a single zone. Congregants had to make bookings online, since last Friday, to secure a space. At Al-Istighfar Mosque in Pasir Ris, 750 slots were snapped up in minutes, said its chairman Azman Mohd Ariffin. There were three sessions at the mosque, each with 250 people spread across five zones. The Straits Times visited the mosque and observed that two zones were designated for women. All five zones had separate entry points, walkways and toilet facilities. Congregants started to trickle in about 10 to 15 minutes before each session began. In the prayer zones, individual boxes were demarcated on the floor for each congre...

KTV, Jurong Fishery Port Covid-19 clusters a reminder why everyone must get vaccinated, says PM Lee

aseanpr 18 7 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The recent large clusters of Covid-19 cases from the KTV lounges and Jurong Fishery Port are a reminder of the need to get everyone vaccinated, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. This is especially so for seniors who can become seriously ill if infected, he said in a Facebook post on Sunday (July 18). All of those working at Chong Boon Market & Food Centre in Ang Mo Kio will be tested and quarantined to prevent further spread of the virus, said PM Lee. He also urged all visitors to the market since July 3 to monitor their health closely and see a doctor immediately if unwell. The market and food centre at Block 453A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 has emerged as one of 12 markets with confirmed Covid-19 cases. It is likely linked to the Jurong Fishery Port cluster. "The most important way to keep ourselves safe is vaccinating everyone," said PM Lee. He added that Singapore is on track to reach the goal of fully vaccinating two-thirds of the population by National Day, which falls on Aug 9. "Meanwhile, please keep up our regular habits of wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining safe distancing. This will slow down the spread of the virus, and help to bring outbreaks like the...

Toa Payoh hawker centre closed after stall assistant who allegedly visited KTV tests positive for Covid-19

aseanpr 15 7 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - The hawker centre at Block 75 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh underwent deep cleaning on Thursday (July 15) morning after a stall assistant who allegedly visited a KTV lounge over the weekend tested positive for Covid-19. A crew of six people wearing personal protective equipment spent about an hour spraying disinfectant and wiping down the tables and chairs at the 36-stall hawker centre managed by NTUC Foodfare. Notices put up around the hawker centre said it would be closed until further notice, with deep cleaning and disinfection to be carried out on Thursday and Friday. Stallholders told The Straits Times that they were notified about the positive case at about 3pm on Wednesday. They were given three hours to pack up and were told to quarantine themselves for 14 days. Swab testers visited the homes of some of the stallholders on Thursday morning to test them for Covid-19. Mr Tan Boon Chuan, 50, secretary of the hawker centre's stallholder association, runs a dessert stall there with his wife. "It was very sudden and the whole hawker centre was a mess. Everyone was anxiously packing up," he told ST in Mandarin. He said he had to throw away all of the ingredients he had prepared f...

Recent death of 16-year-old boy not linked to Covid-19 vaccine, says MOH

aseanpr 15 7 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - The recent death of a 16-year-old boy was not linked to vaccination, the Ministry of Health clarified in a Facebook post on Wednesday (July 14). It added that it was aware of "speculation in Facebook, Telegram and WhatsApp chat groups" featuring an obituary that led to the conjecture that the teenager had died from a "vaccine-related severe adverse event". That is why there was a need to clarify that the boy's demise referenced in these posts and messages were not vaccine-related, MOH added. MOH had said on July 7 that it is investigating the possible causes behind a 16-year-old boy suffering cardiac arrest after a strenuous session of weightlifting, with the Covid-19 vaccine being a possible factor. The Straits Times has contacted MOH to clarify if these are separate incidents. "We urge the public not to spread unsubstantiated information which may add to the family's grief or cause public alarm unnecessarily," MOH said in its Facebook post. More on this topic Related Story Swimming, cycling, lifting heavy weights should be avoided after Covid-19 jabs: MOH Related Story 4 young men in S'pore had heart inflammation after Covid-19 jabs Related Stories: Related Story Dine...

Travellers from Myanmar barred from entering Singapore from July 15

aseanpr 14 7 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Travellers from Myanmar will not be allowed to enter Singapore from Thursday (July 15) given a rise in Covid-19 cases there, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Wednesday (July 14). From 11.59pm on Thursday, all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with a travel history to Myanmar - including transit - in the past 21 days will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore. "This will also apply to all those who had obtained prior approval for entry into Singapore," added MOH. All travellers with recent travel history to Myanmar will also have to take an antigen rapid test (ART) upon arrival. Travellers with recent travel history to Myanmar who have yet to complete their 14-day stay-home notice (SHN) by 11.59pm on Thursday will continue to serve their SHN at dedicated facilities and take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival, said MOH. A self-administered ART has to be taken on days three, seven and 11 of arrival in Singapore. A second PCR test has to be taken on day 14 of arrival. MOH said the multi-ministry task force regularly reviews Singapore's border measures to manage the risk of importation from travellers and onward local transmis...

Temasek Foundation, firms donate over 11,000 oxygen concentrators to help Indonesia tackle Covid-19

aseanpr 13 7 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Temasek Foundation is among Singaporean and Indonesian entities donating more than 11,000 oxygen concentrators to support Indonesia's fight against Covid-19. The first batch of 1,500 units is slated to arrive in Jakarta on Tuesday (July 13) and Wednesday, said the foundation in a statement on Tuesday. More will be progressively delivered over the next few weeks, it added. The oxygen concentrators, which are medical-grade, non-invasive breathing aids, will be deployed by Indonesia's Ministry of Health to hospitals to treat patients with respiratory conditions. The country reported 40,427 Covid-19 cases and 891 deaths on Monday, bringing its total so far to more than 2.5 million cases and 67,355 deaths. The Indonesian authorities extended Covid-19 restrictions to 15 new locations across the archipelago last Friday. In densely populated Java, hospitals are being pushed to the limit, oxygen supplies are low, and four of five designated Covid-19 burial grounds in capital Jakarta are running out of space. Contributors to the donation drive include Bakti Barito Foundation, Indies Capital Partners, Sinar Mas, CapitaLand Hope Foundation, DBS Bank and telco Singtel. Said Mr Piyus...

Singapore Navy ship leaves with life-saving oxygen supplies to support Indonesia’s Covid-19 fight

aseanpr 11 7 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A Republic of Singapore Navy vessel set sail for Indonesia's Tanjung Priok on Sunday morning (July 11), carrying oxygen to supplement the country's fight against Covid-19. Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean said in a Facebook post that the ship carried two tanks with 40 tonnes of liquid oxygen,500 cylinders of oxygen and 570 oxygen concentrators. The delivery came after phone calls between Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investments Luhut Pandjaitan - who is coordinating the nation's Covid-19 response - and Mr Teo, said the latter in his post. "I assured him that Singapore will do our utmost, and work together to overcome this pandemic together," said Mr Teo. Sunday's shipment of oxygen to Indonesia follows the dispatch of two planeloads of medical supplies to Indonesia from Singapore. These included ventilators, masks, gloves and gowns. The Singapore government dispatched the emergency oxygen supplies and equipment in response to Indonesia's request, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on Sunday. "As Indonesia’s close neighbour and partner, Singapore will continue to work in clo...

US stocks tumble on growth worries

elean 9 7 月

2 minutes

NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street stocks dropped on Thursday (July 8), pulling back from records as worries about the Delta variant of the coronavirus added to global growth concerns. Analysts cited Japan's decision to ban fans at the Olympic Games as the latest indication of the virus' growing threat to Asia. Tunisia's health ministry spokeswoman called the effect of the virus on the country "catastrophic," while France warned nationals against traveling to Spain or Portugal on vacation because of a spike in cases. "There's a growing concern about global growth," said Chris Low of FHN Financial, who also cited a shift towards monetary easing by top Chinese officials as illustrative of concerns about the economic outlook. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8 per cent to 34,421.93. The broad-based S&P 500 fell 0.9 per cent to 4,320.82, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index shed 0.7 per cent to 14,559.79. The declines - which followed Wednesday's records for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq - came as the yield on the 10-year US Treasury note fell below 1.3 per cent. Banking shares fell on concerns about lower interest rates, with Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Wells Fargo all losin...

Covid-19 swab tests begin for VivoCity, HarbourFront Centre mall staff

aseanpr 30 6 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - A steady stream of retail staff trickled into the VivoCity carpark on Wednesday morning (June 30) for their Covid-19 swab tests. Mandatory testing is under way for all staff who worked at VivoCity and HarbourFront Centre's retail mall between June 13 and June 28. In a notice seen by The Straits Times, VivoCity's management also said that cleaners, security officers, contractors and safe distancing ambassadors who worked at the mall during that timeframe will also be tested. Mapletree, which owns VivoCity and HarbourFront Centre, said that the operations of both malls will not be affected. Its spokesman said: "This exercise is a precautionary move by the health authorities to help safeguard the health and well-being of all staff, tenants and shoppers." Shoppers do not have to be tested unless they have been specifically notified by the Ministry of Health. When ST visited VivoCity at 10am on Wednesday, there were no queues at the level two carpark where testing was taking place. Staff who were swabbed said they had received an SMS informing them of their allocated time slot. The tests were administered quickly, with the whole process taking no more than 15 minutes a perso...

Getting vaccines throughout life most cost-effective way to protect people against infectious diseases: Report

aseanpr 29 6 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Vaccination at every stage of life after childhood remains one of the most cost-effective measures to protect against infectious diseases, a study has found. The body's immune function is weakened and has an increased susceptibility to infectious diseases such as the flu and pneumonia as one ages. And this can potentially turn into other health complications. Despite vaccines being highly effective in disease prevention, South-east Asia lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to getting a person immunised through the course of his life - a process otherwise known as life-course immunisation. The region falls significantly short of the 75 per cent immunisation target set by the World Health Organisation, said the report, published on Tuesday (June 29). It is titled The Decade Of Healthy Ageing In Asean: Role Of Life-Course Immunisation. For instance, Singapore's influenza vaccination rate stands at only 14 per cent, compared with 75 per cent in Britain and 83 per cent in South Korea. The report was done by the EU-Asean Business Council, accounting firm KPMG in Singapore, and pharmaceutical giant Sanofi, with the support of the Western Pacific Pharmaceutical Forum...

Bukit Batok Driving Centre allows fully vaccinated customers living in Bukit Merah View area to resume lessons

aseanpr 29 6 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Residents living near Bukit Merah View can resume driving lessons at Bukit Batok Driving Centre (BBDC) from Tuesday (June 29) if they have been fully vaccinated. The centre gave this update on its website on Monday (June 28), after it earlier barred customers who live around Bukit Merah View from entering its premises. BBDC had announced on Friday (June 25) that given the "active cluster" of Covid-19 cases in Bukit Merah, students who live in the area were to cancel existing lesson bookings immediately and that no refunds for their lessons would be given if they were denied entry into the centre. In its subsequent update, the centre said it treats "all customers equally" regardless of their area of residence. "The measures implemented were temporary and were part of our social responsibility to safeguard the well-being of the community in minimising the transmission of the virus," it added. It also said customers who cancel lessons that are taking place within the next few days will have the fee fully refunded to their BBDC account. BBDC noted that the Bukit Merah View cluster has stabilised over the past two days. The cluster had 91 cases as of Monday (June 28). Custom...

Covid-19 swabbing begins for residents of some HDB blocks in Henderson Crescent and Lengkok Bahru

aseanpr 28 6 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - Residents of a Housing Board block of flats in Bukit Merah turned up on Monday (June 28) to take mandatory Covid-19 tests that began at 9am. This came after the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Sunday night that four residents from three households in Block 103 Henderson Crescent had tested positive for the coronavirus. At 9am, when The Straits Times visited the pavilion at Block 104B where testing was taking place, there were no queues. Two safe distancing ambassadors were on site. Resident Tan Boon Huay, 71, was one of the first to get the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) swab test. The assistant tailor said she felt uncomfortable during the swab, but the test would give her peace of mind. Ms Tan, who is single, said: "We must accept it, for ourselves and for others. Even though I'm vaccinated and so are my neighbours, there's still a chance of getting the coronavirus." Earlier on Sunday, she had collected a free antigen rapid test (ART) kit from the pavilion. The self-test kits were distributed to Redhill and Bukit Merah residents to help prevent further transmission of the coronavirus. Another resident, Ms Adeline Tan, 60, was also swabbed on Monday, together with he...

MOH, infectious diseases expert call out one-sided claims by doctors on need to halt Covid-19 jabs for schoolboys

aseanpr 28 6 月

6 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination and a senior infectious diseases specialist from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases have called out the one-sided claims by a group of doctors behind an open letter arguing for a halt in the vaccination of Singapore's youths. In a revised statement issued on Monday (June 28), the Ministry of Health (MOH) which oversees the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination said that news reports about a child's death in the United States did not state heart failure as a cause as alleged in the open letter. "The matter is still under investigation by the US authorities," said MOH, which did not point out this error in its Sunday statement. In his Facebook post on Monday (June 28), the National Centre for Infectious Diseases' Associate Professor David Lye called out the doctors behind the open letter for "misleading" and "misinforming the public". The open letter - posted on Facebook on Saturday by a doctor, Dr Kho Kwang Po - was addressed to Professor Benjamin Ong, chairman of the expert committee. It came after a 13-year-old American boy died days after he received his second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in the US. It had called...

Fewer than 10 stalls open at Bukit Merah View market on first day of reopening

aseanpr 27 6 月

6 minutes

SINGAPORE - The 115 Bukit Merah View Market and Food Centre - which is at the centre of Singapore's largest open Covid-19 cluster - reopened on Sunday (June 27) after a two-week closure. However, fewer than 10 stalls out of the 182 there were open for business when The Straits Times visited at 8.30am. Some stallholders returned to clean their stalls and clear existing stocks, after ending their quarantine on Saturday. Human traffic was also visibly thin, as some residents were told by hawkers that they were not operating yet. One of those stallholders who returned to work on Sunday was Ms Lindawati Tjong, 47, who has for nine years run a stall selling raw chicken with her husband. She said she was not too worried about the virus as her family members have mostly been vaccinated or are going to get the jab. Her family of five - including three children aged 11, 17 and 19 - were quarantined at home for the past two weeks. Their quarantine ended on Saturday. Asked why she reopened so soon, she told reporters: "We have no choice - we have a family to feed and no income for the past two weeks." But she is more optimistic now that business can resume. Lawyer Ho Woon Chan, 51, who has bee...

Covid-19 swabbing exercise begins for residents in Tiong Bahru’s Eng Watt Street

aseanpr 26 6 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - Residents from a block of flats in Tiong Bahru trickled slowly into a pavilion for mandatory Covid-19 swab tests on Saturday morning (June 26). This comes after 13 residents from three households at Block 66 Eng Watt Street tested positive for the coronavirus, with the Health Ministry hoping to disrupt any wider, undetected community transmission. Ms Janine Stein, 59, a publisher in the entertainment industry, was among the first to get swabbed when testing operations began at 9am. She had found out about the mandatory swabbing the previous evening, from the notices put up around the block. "I was really worried because this was my first time taking a swab. I spoke to some friends who said it was really painful, sore and uncomfortable, but actually it was okay. I could feel it, but it wasn't painful at all," said Ms Stein, who is fully vaccinated against Covid-19. One of her nostrils was blocked and the swabber had to try again, she said, adding that the swab took about 20 seconds in total. Ms Stein said she was worried after hearing about the cases in her block, especially since it is not clear how the cases could be linked or how transmission had occurred. She said sh...

Redhill residents to undergo mandatory Covid-19 testing after viral fragments detected in wastewater

aseanpr 21 6 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Residents living in Housing Board blocks in Redhill Lane and Redhill Close will have to undergo mandatory Covid-19 testing after viral fragments were detected in wastewater samples collected from some blocks. The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday (June 21) that it is investigating likely Covid-19 transmission in Redhill following the finding. Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of transmission, said the ministry. The affected blocks are 81, 82 and 83 Redhill Lane and 87, 88, 89 and 90 Redhill Close. Testing is optional for those who have tested negative for Covid-19 infection from last Friday. "In the event that a positive Covid-19 case is detected, MOH will isolate the case, identify all close contacts, test and quarantine them to protect the community from further transmission," said the ministry. Visitors and those who have come into contact with residents from these blocks may also volunteer for Covid-19 testing. This will help to detect asymptomatic cases in the community, said MOH. “We encourage these individuals to come forward for testing,” the ministry added. Testing will take place at the pavilion at 84A Redhill Lane and at the void deck o...

First Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines to be given in S’pore on Friday afternoon, 2 weeks’ wait for others

aseanpr 18 6 月

6 minutes

SINGAPORE - The first of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccinations will be administered at some private clinics on Friday afternoon (June 18), following the authorities' approval of 24 private healthcare clinics to draw on the Government's existing stock of the vaccine. As not all the clinics have received the vials yet, many have turned away walk-in requests from the public or placed them on registration wait lists. According to some clinics approached by The Straits Times, the waiting time for those who register successfully could be two weeks or more. Several clinics told ST they have been inundated with calls since the Ministry of Health's (MOH) announcement on Wednesday on the 24 selected providers. Among clinics ready to administer the first jabs on Friday is the Rophi Clinic and HeartlandHealth's Bedok South outlet. A spokesman for Rophi Clinic said it has received "thousands of sign-ups who have registered their interest, but all slots are booked". It will be giving out 20 jabs this afternoon. The Rophi Clinic spokesman said that vaccination will be conducted on non-clinic days to segregate those receiving vaccines from regular patients. The clinic is encouraging individuals to mak...

Mandatory Covid-19 testing under way for 130 stallholders, cleaners at Telok Blangah Drive Food Centre

aseanpr 17 6 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Testing for Covid-19 was quick and smooth at the void deck of Block 80D Telok Blangah Street 31, as stallholders and cleaners from the Telok Blangah Drive Food Centre and Market turned up for mandatory swabbing on Thursday (June 17) morning. The temporary test site was set up after a second worker at the food centre was confirmed to be infected on Wednesday. When The Straits Times (ST) visited the site, there was some crowding at the entrance as hawkers showed up early for appointments scheduled from 9am, but it cleared quickly as testing commenced. The testing was to go on till 4pm. An MP for West Coast GRC, Ms Rachel Ong, who was present, told ST that around 100 stallholders and 30 cleaners were expected to be swabbed. The hawker centre is closed for deep cleaning and disinfection from Wednesday afternoon till Friday. Ms Ong told ST that the community has been understanding and supportive. "I think everyone knows that this is the correct thing to do, and there was a lot of support," she said. She added that the hawkers were thankful for recent rental rebates. On further support for stallholders and hawkers, she said: "We are still assessing it with our grassroots volu...

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