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SINGAPORE – All social activities for seniors organised by government agencies will be suspended for 14 days from Wednesday (March 11), as Singapore ramps up measures to protect the group particularly vulnerable to Covid-19.

This comes amid a growing number of infections linked to a Chinese New Year dinner at Safra Jurong – currently Singapore’s largest coronavirus cluster with 36 cases – attended by many senior citizens.

The suspension will affect courses and activities at community centres and residents’ committees in areas like music, drama, dance, exercise, basic IT and career development.

The People’s Association (PA), which runs many of these programmes, said the suspension will affect 2,600 classes and 11,000 activities attended by about 290,000 participants.

In addition to temperature taking and health and travel advisories, the PA will also progressively implement measures for all activities.

It will reduce the number of participants per activity to ensure sufficient space between them, adjust the rigour of activities to minimise contact and exertion, and shorten the duration to minimise exposure.

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SINGAPORE – Six more cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Singapore, with 12 in critical condition in the intensive care unit, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday (March 10).

This brings the total number of cases to 166, of which 93 have fully recovered and been discharged from hospital.

Three of the cases announced on Tuesday – Cases 161, 164 and 166 – are linked to the private dinner function held at the Joy Garden restaurant at Safra Jurong on Feb 15.

The Safra Jurong cluster remains the largest locally, with 39 cases.

Two other new cases – Cases 162 and 163 – are linked to Case 142, who was confirmed to have the infection on March 7.

Case 162, a 28-year-old Singaporean man, was in Indonesia from Feb 29 to March 2.

He reported onset of symptoms on March 7 and was referred by MOH to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) on March 9 as he was identified as a contact of Case 142.

Prior to hospitalisation, he had visited a shop at 26 Jalan Membina. He stays at Kim Tian Road.

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SINGAPORE – Struggling start-up Honestbee has retrenched about 80 per cent of its staff, in the wake of the temporary closure of its grocery store Habitat.

Employees have also been told that payment of their salaries and Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions for the month of February will be delayed “until further funding can be secured”.

In a statement on Tuesday (March 10), a spokesman for the company said that the cuts were made, as “the company does not foresee operating Habitat (at) its full strength over the next few weeks”.

The start-up closed Habitat temporarily from Feb 10, citing the coronavirus outbreak and a reduction in the supermarket’s walk-in traffic.

The majority of the 100-odd employees made redundant, out of Honestbee’s overall headcount of 130 in Singapore, were “operational staff in culinary, service, retail and warehousing” at Habitat, the spokesman added.

The temporary closure of Habitat has impacted the firm’s revenues, which led to the job cuts and delayed payment of salaries, the spokesman said.

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They say you shouldn’t date a colleague, but Amanda Cho and Darius Low have been partners and colleagues for a good four years now.

The pair started dating in 2015, a year before Darius joined Eton House as special projects manager. Amanda, who’s the creative and operations manager at the international school, was actually the one who encouraged him to apply.

Said Amanda: “We were a couple before we were colleagues. Darius was the right fit for the company and the team and I think I have been proven right by the work we produced so far.

“We also had supportive bosses who trusted us even though hiring a couple in the same (and very core) team would be a risk to the organisation.”

Indeed, there have been horror stories of how a professional-cum-personal relationship at work might derail one or both fronts, but Amanda and Darius appear to have it all figured out.

“Initially, we thought that working together might tax our personal relationship, especially if work disagreements flow over [into our private lives],” said Darius.

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SINGAPORE – Come 2027, the Marina Bay skyline will be reshaped with the addition of a new building – one with clean lines and a flowing green terrain that leads to an amphitheatre.

It is the upcoming Founders’ Memorial, which honours Singapore’s pioneer leaders, located in a 5ha site in Bay East Garden.

The memorial’s winning design by Japanese firm Kengo Kuma & Associates and local firm K2LD Architects was announced on Monday (March 9).

The linear design, which integrates lush greenery and foliage, was unanimously selected as the winner by a seven-member jury.

The panel commended the submission for its distinctive architectural, landscaping and place-making characteristics, among other criteria. It won against four other shortlisted designs.

It will have a viewing gallery, a lake, a forest trail and an amphitheatre suitable for large gatherings.

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A coffee shop in Bedok recently found itself in the spotlight after a video showing one of their beer promoters holding a glass of beer to the lips of a male customer went viral.

The 20-second-long video, posted onto Facebook on March 7, has since racked up over 13,000 shares.

In the clip, the cameraman can also be heard making a remark about how such a service costs $50.

A Shin Min Daily News reporter paid a visit to the coffee shop a day later, having identified the location as an eatery near 59 New Upper Changi Road. Both the Tiger Beer promoter and her customer were not present at the time of the visit.

The young woman, allegedly known as the area’s ‘belle’, would be questioned by the company that day, or be relocated to another branch, her colleague told the Chinese daily.

As their company has strict guidelines — beer promoters are not allowed to wear skirts, sit down with customers or partake in drinking — she was worried her colleague would lose her job.

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SINGAPORE – The number of people diagnosed with Covid-19 is growing around the world, and as the epicentre of the outbreak shifts away from China, it is unlikely that the disease will taper off like SARS did, said experts on Monday (March 9).

“The virus is here to stay until the end of the year,” said Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, infectious diseases programme leader at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.

With the spike in cases globally, hopes that the outbreak will be over by April or May will be dashed, he said. The global number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 has surpassed 100,000 and the death toll is close to 4,000. 

Prof Hsu was one of four esteemed panellists who spoke to The Straits Times’ senior health correspondent Salma Khalik in an hour-long discussion, which was broadcast live on the newspaper’s social media channels.

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SINGAPORE – By 2031, Punggol and Pasir Ris residents will get better MRT connectivity with the addition of four more train stations that will link up the eastern and north-eastern parts of Singapore.

The 7.3km extension to the future Cross Island Line (CRL) will act as a shuttle service to supplement the buses that currently ply routes between both towns.

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