It’s good to be neighbourly but this might be a little too close for comfort.
On Feb 10, Stomp reported that the police are investigating a report about a man who has been “loitering” around the common corridor of block 569 at Hougang Street 51 while wearing a woman’s dress.
Stomp reader Ivan, who is also a resident of the block, shared video clips from his security camera with the online publication. These video clips were dated Jan 17, Feb 5, and Feb 6. In the videos on Jan 17 and Feb 5, the man can be seen loitering at the staircase and walking along the corridor.
However, the video clip from Feb 6 showed him walking past the camera while wearing a woman’s dress.
Ivan told Stomp: “He usually comes around 7 to 10pm because it is most quiet on my floor and on the floors above and below mine.” On Feb 6, Ivan also managed to follow the man to the staircase and confronted him.
SINGAPORE – A 17-year-old secondary school boy, who is a staunch supporter of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group, was detained last month under the Internal Security Act.
In a statement on Monday (Feb 10), the Home Affairs Ministry (MHA) said the student was first investigated in September 2017 when he was 15 years old, after he posted defaced images of President Halimah Yacob on social media and called on ISIS to behead her for supporting Singapore, which he viewed as an “infidel” state.
The ministry said he had been radicalised by a foreign online contact, who introduced him to pro-ISIS social media groups in 2017.
Through these groups, the boy gained access to what he believed was exclusive ISIS content, said MHA.
“In his eyes, ISIS was a powerful group that was fighting for Islam and its use of violence against its opponents was therefore justified.”
After this came to light in 2017, the ministry said it had tried to steer the boy away from the radical path, but he remained a staunch supporter of ISIS.
In a now-viral Facebook post, Tong Yee, 45, shared how his two daughters orchestrated a mission on Feb 8 to deliver food to the healthcare workers working tirelessly to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
Tong, a social entrepreneur, had been looking forward to a quiet weekend.
He had spent the whole of last week handling “all sorts of problems” caused by the virus outbreak, including helping Singaporeans stranded overseas and offering advice to those who were fearful.
“Frankly I didn’t feel like doing anything,” Tong wrote. “Somewhere deep in my mind I found myself saying ‘I’ve played my part and done enough, this time let others step up.'”
But daughters Rui’en, 10, and Ruirui, 6, had other ideas.
SINGAPORE: As some Singaporeans hunker down and stock up on food essentials in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, charities and volunteer groups are concerned about the impact on their ability to get supplies of food out to those relying on their help.
Since the Government raised its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) level to Orange on Friday, schools and companies have curtailed many activities, while anxious shoppers emptied the shelves at NTUC FairPrice outlets and wet markets.
Some charity groups like Free Food For All (FFA), which provides free cooked meals and rations to low-income Singaporeans, are worried about what the stockpiling by consumers could mean for donations.
“I see a potential hit on the amount of food donations we will receive,” said FFA’s founder Nizar Mohd Shariff. “We typically receive (from retailers) food that is not sold or near expiry – but if items are flying off the shelves, what’s left to be given to us?”
The kind of mentality spurring the panic-buying is also worrying. “On normal days, people think, ‘I’ll donate if I have enough.’ But when people are hoarding stuff out of fear, donations would be the last thing on their mind.”
Food From The Heart is one of the charities concerned about how consumer stockpiling and the measures taken to limit it might affect donations.
To discourage stockpiling, NTUC FairPrice has since placed limits on the purchase of high-demand items like rice, and reassured customers that it has ready stock of essential items.
Food From The Heart’s (FFTH) chief executive Sim Bee Hia is concerned about how this might impact donations through its NTUC Shop & Donate scheme, where the public can order food staples to be delivered to a charity.
This “has always been a steady source of food for us, especially rice”, said Ms Sim.
SHARP DROP IN VOLUNTEERS
But a far more urgent concern for the food assistance groups is the drying-up of their pool of volunteers in the past week or so.
“There isn’t enough manpower to get food out to people in need,” said Ms Nicol Ng, co-founder of The Food Bank Singapore.
People are forgetting that while this virus is going on, people in need still need to eat and life goes on.
At FFTH, Ms Sim said she was “scrambling” to find volunteers to pack almost 2,000 food ration packs by the end of this week. A desperate call was put out on Facebook.
“From Jan 31 till now, about 12 volunteer sessions with corporations and schools, who were supposed to help with the packing of food rations, were cancelled,” she said. “There were also individuals who signed up but were a no-show.”
Ms Sim Bee Hia, chief executive of Food From The Heart.
The Food Bank Singapore relies on students to sort out and process public donations of canned food, biscuits and other groceries, or huge pallets of food from industry donors, before these can be redirected to beneficiaries.
But since cases of the novel coronavirus began cropping up in Singapore, groups have been cancelling. “Our student volunteer pool has been wiped out,” said Ms Ng, adding that beneficiaries who have been getting rations from them twice a month “may only get it once a month”.
The Food Bank also has a programme where companies, as part of a corporate responsibility programme for staff, can buy items that beneficiaries need, pack them, and go distributing door to door. “But now there’s none of that… The total food donation volume is down by 50 per cent,” said Ms Ng.
For Willing Hearts, a cooked food charity that provides 6,500 free meals a day islandwide, the lack of manpower means it now takes longer to prepare and deliver food.
Volunteers prepping ingredients at Willing Hearts.
“Companies are telling employees to stay home, while school volunteers have completely disappeared in the last two weeks,” said Mr Teh Eng Hua, the president of Willing Hearts.
But do or die, the charities that CNA Insider spoke to are doing all they can to get food to those who need it. They rely on their few staff and the odd volunteers who still turn up to help.
The Food Bank is appealing to companies that can’t volunteer their time for now, to donate money instead so that it can buy the provisions needed to continue its service to beneficiaries.
SPARE A THOUGHT FOR THEM
FFTH is determined that its beneficiaries see no disruption to their food supply. “For the lower-income and vulnerable groups, seeing the empty supermarket shelves would have brought a sense of uneasiness because they are already struggling financially,” said Ms Sim.
That’s why we need to honour our commitment. Food should be the last thing they are worried about.
The good news is that those in need can turn to other sources of free food – like community fridges in Yishun stocked by donors and food rescuers, and FFTH’s The Community Shop @ Mountbatten just launched on Saturday.
Free Food For All’s community fridges (Photo: Rauf Khan)
While shoppers were packing supermarkets the day after DORSCON Orange was declared, Ms Sim said: “It was humbling to see that our beneficiaries were getting what they needed (at our free shop) without having to go through the frenzy at Sheng Shiong or NTUC FairPrice.”
Indeed, the weekend’s binge-buying had charities appealing to Singaporeans to think of the impact of their actions on the low-income group.
For instance, Ms Ng pointed out that those on assistance get NTUC FairPrice vouchers to buy groceries – and if the shelves were empty, they’d be forced to find the cash to buy elsewhere.
She added: “We can’t stop people from panic buying. But if they really want to buy stuff, they could think of those in need and buy some for us as well,”
Ms Sim took a lighter perspective. “I hope people realise that they bought too much,” she said with a laugh. “And then they’ll donate to us.”
SINGAPORE – There are two new coronavirus cases in Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday evening (Feb 10), bringing the total number of cases here to 45.
Seven of those infected are now in critical condition and in the intensive care unit.
Meanwhile, a total of seven have been discharged, MOH added.
One of the new cases is a 37-year-old Singaporean man who works at Certis and had been on duty at Chingay. This year’s Chingay took place from Jan 31 to Feb 1. Before developing symptoms, he had served quarantine orders on two individuals from Wuhan who had subsequently tested positive for the virus.
He reported symptoms on Jan 31, and had sought treatment at a general practitioner clinic on Feb 2. On Feb 6, he went to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where he was immediately isolated. Test results confirmed he had the virus on Feb 9. He did not serve any quarantine orders after developing symptoms. He lives at Sembawang Drive.
MOH has said that for the general public, the risk of infection from transient contact, such as on public transport or in public places, is assessed to be low.
SINGAPORE: Despite the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak, the future of the aviation sector remains bright, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Monday (Feb 10).
Speaking at the opening ceremony of this year’s Singapore Airshow, Mr Heng noted that globally, airlines were seeing a drop in passenger numbers.
“Some airlines have been particularly hard hit, and have resorted to substantive cost reduction measures, including putting staff on unpaid leave and even laying off some of their workers,” he said.
This could lead to a knock-on impact on the wider aviation sector, he said, with aircraft orders as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul sectors being affected.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat speaks at the opening ceremony of the Singapore Airshow on Monday, Feb 10 2020.
The Singapore Airshow had also been affected, with exhibitors and delegations “understandably concerned about the outbreak”, he said, though he noted organiser Experia Events had been hard at work adjusting its plans and putting in health safeguards.
Experia Events managing director Lek Chet Lam noted on Sunday that more than 70 companies had withdrawn from the biennial event because of concerns over the coronavirus, adding that he expected less than half of public day tickets to be sold compared to the 2018 show.
Mr Heng – who is also the Finance Minister – said the virus had cast “fresh uncertainties” on the short term prospects of the global economy.
The Singapore Airshow is held at the Changi Exhibition Centre from Feb 11 to Feb 16. (Photo: Aqil Haziq)
“Consumer confidence has dampened, and many supply chains have been temporarily disrupted,” he said, adding the rapidly evolving nature of the situation made it difficult to gauge the full impact of the virus.
He was confident however that with “close cooperation”, China, Singapore and other countries could overcome the challenges posed by the virus.
“I am similarly confident that the global aviation sector will weather this coronavirus outbreak, much like how you recovered and emerged stronger from Sep 11, the global financial crisis, SARS and MERS.”
Investment in three areas – namely innovation, skills and infrastructure – is needed to drive the growth of the global aviation industry, said Mr Heng.
In the area of infrastructure, he noted Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 – expected to be completed in the early 2030s – will allow Singapore to handle an additional 50 million passengers each year, an increase of 50 per cent from its current capacity.
This additional capacity will allow Singapore to contribute to increased connectivity in the region and beyond, Mr Heng said.
“Beyond hard infrastructure and flight connectivity, countries must also work together to improve the safety and security of air travellers, make their travel experience more seamless and more pleasant, and promote the various destinations in the region for travel and for business,” he said.
The future of aviation is “bustling, dynamic and filled with opportunities” said Mr Heng, adding the industry was resilient to setbacks.
Mr Heng also noted the growing number of collaborations here between international industry players, the public sector and research institutes.
He pointed to examples such as the Rolls Royce corporate laboratory, formed in partnership with the Nanyang Technological University, as well as the Aviation Innovation Research Lab formed by Thales and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.
“In the spirit of collaboration, at this Airshow, I hope you can find new inspiration, identify new areas of partnerships and strike new deals.”
Experia Events chairman Vincent Chong noted that while travel restrictions put into place following the coronavirus outbreak had impacted the number of attendees, the airshow still had more than 930 companies participating – or more than 90 per cent of the companies that had initially signed up.
“Despite the current situation, attendance is encouraging. We estimate that 40,000 trade visitors will be here to build and strengthen networks and relationships, explore business opportunities, and keep abreast of current technological developments,” he said.
This time, the restaurant found itself hauled over the coals for allegedly selling surgical masks to diners at a price deemed unreasonable by netizens.
In a Facebook post on Feb 9 (which has since been deleted), the eatery had shared that it was selling surgical masks exclusively to diners at $21.40 a box, with each table only allowed to purchase a box.
The now-deleted post. PHOTO: Screengrab/House of Seafood
Except, as it turns out, the Facebook post had come about as a misunderstanding.
In light of the coronavirus outbreak, we scour the island for the best deals to help keep you and your loved ones healthy and also appreciate those fighting at the frontline to keep the virus at bay.
‘Cos good things must share.
$19.95 HAND SANITISERS PROMOTION
Fret not if you haven’t had the chance to buy hand sanitisers, Singaporean chemical manufacturer Adiwarna Industries is selling its house brand hand sanitisers and disinfectant sprays at a discount.
Each 500ml bottle of Jackie hand sanitisers will go for $19.95, and has more than 60 per cent ethyl alcohol. According to the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, sanitisers with 60 to 95 per cent alcohol clean more effectively than those with lesser alcohol content.
If you’re wondering about the price, other alcohol-based hand sanitisers on the market are retailing at $21.90 per 100ml
SINGAPORE – A total of 300,000 surgical masks will be given out to taxi and private-hire car drivers, and temperature-taking stations will be set up for them to better protect them from the coronavirus, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Monday (Feb 10).
The masks, which are in packs of four and come from the Government’s stockpile, will be given out to them from Tuesday through their companies and operators.
LTA said in a statement: “These masks are intended for drivers to offer to passengers who are unwell but do not have a mask and need a ride to seek medical attention.”
The authority also announced on Monday that taxi operators will be setting up eight temperature-screening stations across all taxi operators’ premises from Tuesday.
Drivers can go to these stations to have their temperature taken and receive a sticker for the day to indicate that their temperature has been checked.
LTA added that private-hire car companies such as Grab and Gojek will require their drivers to take their own temperature and to submit their readings via their apps.
KUCHING: With immediate effect, arrivals to Sarawak from Singapore will have to be quarantined for 14 days at home, State Disaster Management Committee chairman Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said on Monday (Feb 10).
The decision was made after Singapore raised its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) level to Orange last Friday amid a global novel coronavirus outbreak. The country has 43 cases of the virus as of Sunday, including 22 locally transmitted cases.
“According to DORSCON, the (orange warning) level, which is the second-highest warning stage, indicates that the disease is severe and spreads easily from person to person but has not spread widely in Singapore and is being contained,” Uggah said in a statement.
Uggah, who is also Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister, said that the emergence of several novel coronavirus clusters in Singapore was “worrying”.
“The victims ranged from church goers to taxi drivers, private hire drivers, tour guide and a teacher. They had not been to China but were affected in these places,” he said.
Uggah said the committee would engage bodies representing various churches, temples, mosques, taxi associations, hoteliers’ associations and long-distance bus associations, among others, to get their support in the fight against the infection, particularly in preventing its spread.
Between Jan 10 and Feb 9, there have been 60 suspect cases of coronavirus in Sarawak, he said.
“We have 43 negative cases and 17 more are pending laboratory testings while 15 of these 43 cases involving Malaysian nationals are recorded at the Sarawak General Hospital, eight at Sibu Hospital, seven in Miri and four in Bintulu,” he added.
The man had travelled to mainland China before returning to Malaysia on Feb 1, said Malaysia’s Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah in a press statement.
Worldwide, the coronavirus has killed more than 900 people and infected more than 40,000.
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