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31 ways our lives have changed due to coronavirus outbreak

1. WASH HANDS MORE OFTEN The simple task of washing hands is now serious business. Experts, knowing that the coronavirus is transmitted mainly via droplets and physical contact, advise hand hygiene in the fight against Covid-19. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Learn more about ST PREMIUM. Enjoy unlimited access […]

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askST: How to ace aptitude-based university admissions

Q My grades are good, but not good enough to get into the competitive courses such as computing or business, so I am hoping to get into university through aptitude-based admissions. How is it done? And how can I prepare myself for it, especially for the personal essay and interview? A Those hoping to land […]

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Hawkers welcome rental waivers amid drop in business in wake of coronavirus outbreak

Hawkers have welcomed the Government’s move to introduce rental waivers in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, although a number hope more will be done to defray the drop in business caused by smaller crowds. Mr Afiq Rezza, 30, whose family’s stall at Block 724 Ang Mo Kio Food Centre is known for its mee […]

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Initiative launched to promote good hygiene

As the coronavirus outbreak continues in Singapore, some food and beverage operators are taking no chances, stepping up their hygiene practices to minimise chances of infection. The GHK @ Khatib coffee shop in Yishun has increased the number of cleaners per shift – to three from two. Staff are also given rubber gloves, and toilets […]

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3 new cases in S’pore; baby among 2 discharged

There are three new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Singapore, bringing the total number infected to 89, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday. Two more patients with the disease, known as Covid-19, have been discharged, bringing the number of people discharged to 49. The two who were discharged are Case 19, a 28-year-old […]

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Growing fears over global spread of virus

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged countries around the world to act quickly, as the window of opportunity to curb the wide spread of the disease known as Covid-19 is shrinking. Urging nations to invest in preparedness, the United Nations agency’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “If we do well within the narrowing window […]

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Volunteers help NTUC prepare care packs for front-line workers

About 70 volunteers from the labour movement’s various communities banded together yesterday to put together 5,500 care packs for workers in Singapore, as part of the fight against the coronavirus disease known as Covid-19. The packing efforts were carried out in two locations – the NTUC Centre at One Marina Boulevard and NTUC’s e2i at […]

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Lee Suet Fern found guilty of misconduct in handling founding PM Lee Kuan Yew’s last will

Lawyer Lee Suet Fern has been found guilty by a disciplinary tribunal of grossly improper professional conduct in her handling of the last will of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister and her father-in-law. Her case will be referred to the Court of Three Judges, the highest disciplinary body to deal with lawyers’ […]

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Chinese nationals in Singapore feeling the heat from coronavirus crisis

Chinese national Hou Chunquan, 65, is a man in limbo. He arrived in Singapore in mid-November to see his grandchildren on a two-month visit that has now stretched to three – and counting. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Learn more about ST PREMIUM. Enjoy unlimited access to ST’s best […]

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Thai soldier kills at least 17 in shooting rampage

At least 17 people were killed and 21 wounded in a shooting by a soldier in the north-eastern Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima, a police spokesman said in a message sent to reporters yesterday. Police identified the suspect as Jakrapanth Thomma. He had posted on his Facebook page earlier in the day that “Death is […]

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Coronavirus: Leaders call for calm and urge against panic buying at stores here

Political leaders and experts have come out in force to call for calm and urge people to be responsible, following a second day of panic buying of provisions at stores here. Photos and videos of empty supermarket shelves and people purchasing large amounts of food flooded social media, after Singapore raised its response level to […]

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Coronavirus: Adequate supplies of essentials, no need to hoard, says FairPrice CEO Seah Kian Peng

Buy what you need, without hoarding, as there are adequate supplies of food and other essentials, said supermarket chain FairPrice’s group chief executive Seah Kian Peng yesterday. FairPrice has over nine million rolls of toilet paper, 1.2 million packs of instant noodles and four million kg of rice, with more coming in through routine daily […]

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Coronavirus: Heedless of crowds and bug, some rush to stock up on goods

Toilet paper rolls, rice, instant noodles, cooking oil and other essentials are among the items flying off supermarket shelves amid concerns over the coronavirus, even as stores work steadily to restock products and reassure shoppers that there is no shortage. A check of more than 10 supermarkets across Singapore yesterday morning saw larger than usual […]

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‘Whatever the situation, we can each do our part’: PM Lee’s full statement on the coronavirus situation

We have faced the new coronavirus (nCoV) situation for about two weeks now. The Ministerial Task Force, advised by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, has been leading the Government’s response to this outbreak. They have been dealing with new developments every day, and holding regular press briefings to keep Singaporeans informed every step of […]

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Coronavirus: Singapore to review strategy if cases climb

Singapore will have to reconsider its strategy if the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday. “If the virus is widespread, it is futile to try to trace every contact. If we still hospitalise and isolate every suspect case, our hospitals will be overwhelmed,” he said in a […]

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Cabby, private-hire car driver among 7 new cases of coronavirus in Singapore

A taxi driver and a private-hire car driver are among the seven new coronavirus cases in Singapore announced by the Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday. None of the seven – six Singaporeans and a permanent resident – has recent travel history to China. Among them, the taxi driver, 64, and private-hire car driver, 53, both […]

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Coronavirus: Even private remarks that hurt racial feelings are uncalled for, says Masagos

Making remarks which hurt the religious or racial feelings of any community is uncalled for even if done privately, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli said yesterday. Referring to recent online posts by religious teacher Abdul Halim Abdul Karim, Mr Masagos told The Sunday Times the Government is serious in dealing with hate speech. Mr […]

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Coronavirus: Hygiene measures stepped up at public events and venues in Singapore

Before they could march into the wedding hall in the evening yesterday, Ms Rahimah Rashith and her husband Soufyan Zakhnini had their temperatures taken and filled out their names and contact numbers on a contact sheet. All their guests at the Changi-Simei Community Building did likewise after Singapore raised its alert level to orange in […]

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Fear and panic can do more harm than coronavirus: PM Lee

The coronavirus outbreak is a test of Singapore’s social cohesion and psychological resilience, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as the country announced seven new confirmed cases yesterday. It is the biggest jump reported in a single day, bringing the total number of people infected here to 40. Four are in critical condition, the Ministry […]

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Wuhan virus: Smooth start to mask distribution at 200 RC centres

The first day of mask distribution at about 200 residents’ committee (RC) centres around Singapore went smoothly, despite initial concerns of a rush at collection points. At several RCs The Sunday Times visited, there were next to no queues and volunteers handing out masks often outnumbered the residents collecting them. The Government on Thursday announced […]

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Wuhan virus: Shanmugam lauds ICA officers for working well under pressure

Singapore’s immigration officers have performed well under pressure, even as more checks have been progressively rolled out to contain the outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday. “We have had to put in additional measures to check travel history and symptoms… (though) we don’t have that much additional […]

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PM Lee confident China and other nations will work together to beat virus

China is doing all it can to contain the spread of the coronavirus, and Singapore’s efforts will complement this, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. “We know that China is doing all it can to contain the spread of the virus. Singapore has been countering the novel coronavirus by isolating suspected cases and conducting contact […]

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Extra help for private-hire, taxi drivers under quarantine

Less than a month in, Singapore’s transport and tourism industries are already badly hit by the Wuhan virus situation. Ms Julie Cheong, president of the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union, said that while usual occupancy rates for this period can go up to 80 per cent, they are now only around 60 per cent. […]

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China’s Premier Li asks EU to rush medical supplies

BEIJING • China’s Premier Li Keqiang has asked the European Union to facilitate China’s urgent procurement of medical supplies from member countries, the Chinese government said yesterday, amid a coronavirus outbreak that has killed over 250 people. The number of deaths from the epidemic in China has risen by 46 to 259, the country’s health […]

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More countries curb entry of those who have been in China

SHANGHAI • More countries have restricted travel from China over the coronavirus epidemic – moves which have been described as an “overreaction” by some in Beijing. The US announced measures on Friday to ban foreign nationals who have recently been in China from entering their territories. The Trump administration also ordered citizens returning from central […]

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Fear spurring departures

SHANGHAI • Expatriates are leaving coronavirus-hit China – and not just from the outbreak epicentre in Wuhan – as worries about their children take hold and private healthcare facilities start turning away the feverish. Some foreigners also fear being trapped indefinitely as airlines cancel flights and countries quarantine or limit entry for people who have […]

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Phuket hit by travel bans

PHUKET • The narrow laneways and pastel-coloured shophouses of Phuket Old Town are usually bustling with Chinese tourists during the Chinese New Year holiday, but travel bans and local fears about the coronavirus have largely emptied the streets this year. Just a handful of tourists, many wearing face masks, strolled through the area during daylight […]

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China goes full throttle to produce more masks

NANCHANG • Though many factories across China remain empty amid a mass quarantine campaign to curb the novel coronavirus from spreading, companies that produce masks are going all out to churn out much-needed supplies. China produces around 50 per cent of the world’s masks. However, the current outbreak has increased public demand and put great […]

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Targeted help for transport, tourism sectors worst hit by Wuhan virus outbreak in Budget 2020

The transport and tourism sectors, worst hit by the coronavirus situation, will get targeted help in the coming Budget on top of broader measures to address any wider economic slowdown, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday. The measures will aim to address companies’ short-term cashflow needs, and retain and train workers in the […]

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‘We have nowhere else to go… we’ve lost our homes’: Villagers from Taal volcano island

A flotilla of about 60 boats sailed across a lake on Friday in a frantic effort to rescue horses and livestock that were left on a small island when Taal volcano roared to life with devastating fury last Sunday. About 100 men went to the island that day, scouring a sprawling landscape of lifeless grey […]