Non-profit organisation Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) aims to cultivate kindness and graciousness in society, but it ain’t so magnanimous when it comes to parodic representations of its icon, Singa the Lion.
Kiasu Memes For Singaporean Teens (KMFST), one of the bigger local meme pages established since 2016, made an announcement earlier today (Feb 6) that SKM “reserves the right to commence legal actions” against the administrator should a pastiche version of their mascot continue to be used as the page’s logo.
So instead of Singa the Lion with Facebook’s angry face emoji overlaid on the icon’s face and shirt, KMFST’s new logo is a hastily scrawled acronym.
With the ongoing Wuhan virus outbreak taking hold of people’s consciousness, face masks and hand sanitisers have consequently flown off the shelves.
We’ve heard reports that supplies of hand sanitisers — particularly the travel-sized ones — are out of stock at some stores and you may have better luck heading online if you’re still looking to purchase one.
However, not all sanitisers are built the same. According to the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, sanitisers with 60 to 95 per cent alcohol clean much better than those with little or no alcohol in them.
And for it to be effective, you must use enough of it to cover your hands and leave it to dry naturally for about 20 seconds. But when it comes right down to it, nothing beats a simple wash with soap and running water, also for about 20 seconds.
SINGAPORE: Food delivery riders who have been placed under quarantine orders due to the novel coronavirus will receive a care package aimed at alleviating their loss of income while they are unable to work.
The Government will provide these riders with a S$100 per day allowance during the 14 days that they are unable to work.
Meanwhile, riders who are members of the Freelancers and Self-Employed Unit of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) are eligible for a one-off allowance of S$200.
Ride-hailing and food-delivery giant Grab will also provide those delivering for its GrabFood delivery service a one-off amount of between S$100 and S$200 should they be quarantined or hospitalised during this time.
The above measures were announced on Thursday (Feb 6) during a Chinese New Year celebration organised by Grab for its private-hire vehicle drivers and food delivery riders, at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.
These come after a similar suite of financial relief measures was announced for taxi and private-hire car drivers under quarantine on Feb 1.
More than 28,000 people worldwide have been infected by the novel coronavirus, with more than 560 deaths.
In Singapore, there are currently 28 confirmed cases of the coronavirus – which is believed to have originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in the Hubei province.
Speaking at the event, Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary said Grab’s move was part of a “comprehensive approach” for its drivers and delivery riders, and encouraged other companies to follow Grab’s lead.
“We are also working hard to develop further measures to provide targeted support towards the private-hire car and taxi industry, which is likely to be affected,” said Dr Janil, who is also advisor to the Freelancers and Self-Employed Unit.
Grab Singapore head Yee Wee Tang said the new measures are aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of its riders during this time.
“We will also be pushing out alerts to our customers to remind them to do their part by putting on masks if they have a cough or runny nose, and for them to let you know in advance if they would prefer for you to leave their food orders at their doorstep or building’s reception area, in order to limit exposure,” he said.
He added that GrabFood’s business has not been impacted by concerns over the virus.
“We are monitoring closely but as of now there is no impact on the food delivery business,” he said.
Mr Yee said the company was also looking at whether similar care packages could be provided for drivers and delivery riders on leave of absence (LOA) – a precautionary measure under which those with recent travel history to China to stay at home for a 14-day period to monitor their health – who do not currently qualify for such benefits.
NTUC assistant director-general Ang Hin Kee said the union is engaging stakeholders and is working to draw up a similar plan for those on LOA.
CNA has contacted the other two major food delivery firms here, Deliveroo and Foodpanda, on whether they would also be announcing similar measures for their riders.
Grab also announced a partnership with the National Private-Hire Vehicles Association to provide its drivers with a set of training courses.
These include a defensive driving course, to be jointly conducted by Grab and the ComfortDelGro Driving Centre, as well as SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace, which is aimed at helping them learn more about emerging technologies and how to use data.
Some people get crabby when they don’t get their daily caffeine fix. This man in Jurong West? He got violent.
The man and a cleaner were caught in an altercation at Quality Road Food Centre on Feb 5 after she allegedly cleared his unfinished coffee away, reported Shin Min Daily News.
In a video shared on Facebook page All Singapore Stuff, a man in a purple shirt could be seen pushing the cleaner, dressed in blue, onto the floor before pointing and shouting at her.
She stood back up and retaliated by throwing an unidentified object at him as another man tried to get between the feuding pair.
SINGAPORE: It will be mandatory for all workers returning from mainland China to be placed on a 14-day Leave of Absence (LOA) as Singapore steps up measures to contain the coronavirus situation, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said on Thursday (Feb 6).
Employers must notify the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) before their employees return so that the Government can “stagger the return of these workers and manage the flow better”, added Mr Wong.
A S$100 daily allowance will be extended to all employers whose workers are placed on Leave of Absence (LOA). The allowance was previously only given to employers whose workers are quarantined, or self-employed Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs) who are quarantined.
Mr Wong said on Thursday the foreign worker levy will also be waived during the employee’s period of absence from work.
“The businesses are equally affected (and) projects are being delayed,” he said on the sidelines of a visit to a foreign worker’s dormitory at Tuas. “So we’ve heard the concerns of employers.”
Self-employed Singaporeans and PRs will receive the allowance if they show proof of employment. They must not break the quarantine order or LOA.
Employers of Singaporeans, PRs and workpass holders will receive the allowance if they are a registered company in Singapore and show proof of payment to employees who are under quarantine or on LOA. Employees must not break the quarantine order or LOA.
The 16,800 bedder Tuas View Dormitory is ran by TS Group. (Photo: Rachel Phua)
Manpower Minister Josephine Teo, who was also at the site visit, said that the authorities will be stepping up on enforcement measures to make sure both employers and employees stick to LOA and quarantine guidelines.
When asked what these enforcement actions are, Mr Wong said that they will use surveillance measures such as video calls and spot checks, which are already in place to check on those under home quarantine.
Government agencies are working out the penalties for those who fail to follow through on their quarantine or LOA, he added.
Don’t waste it away by spending it at home because there are lots of activities happening around the island to enjoy with your friends and family. Weekends will never be the same again with this weekend planner.
BANGKOK’S CHATUCHAK NIGHT MARKET
Can’t afford to fly to Bangkok? Don’t fret because its famed Chatuchak Night Market has landed in Singapore.
For three months starting from Feb 4, visitors can experience one of Bangkok’s most popular night markets at The Grandstand, with Thai vendors rotating each week.
SINGAPORE – At least three employees of a multinational company that held a meeting of more than 100 international staff in Singapore have contracted the new coronavirus, sparking a World Health Organisation (WHO) investigation of the case.
Malaysia and South Korea have confirmed three cases of the virus related to the mid-January company meeting held with 94 overseas staff at the Grand Hyatt hotel, and Singapore said late on Wednesday (Feb 5) that four other attendees were showing symptoms.
The authorities have not revealed the name of the company that held the meeting or said what business it is involved in.
Malaysian health authorities have said people from China including one from the city of Wuhan, where the virus emerged in December, attended.
“WHO is coordinating with relevant ministries of health in relation to it,” Ms Olivia Lawe-Davies, a spokesman for the WHO, said in response to questions from Reuters.
“As countries are stepping up surveillance, the detection of more cases of local transmission can be expected.”
SINGAPORE: At least 12 people from five families, including a foreign domestic helper, are among the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Singapore so far.
WHO: Father, 66, and son, 37, from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore with seven other travelling companions on Jan 20.
DETAILS: The 66-year-old – Singapore’s first case of the virus confirmed on Jan 23 – reported having a sore throat while on his flight to Singapore. He developed a fever the next day and began coughing.
After arriving in Singapore, the man checked in to Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort and Spa. On Jan 22, he told hotel staff that he was unwell and was taken to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), where he was isolated and diagnosed with pneumonia.
He was identified to the Ministry of Health (MOH) as a suspected case at 10pm and was tested positive the following day at 6pm. He remains in isolation at SGH.
Other family members travelling alongside the father and son – the wives of both men and the son’s two young children – have also come down with the infectious virus.
They were among Malaysia’s first few confirmed cases after they left Singapore for Johor Bahru at about 12pm on Jan 23, before the 66-year-old man was confirmed as infected with the virus later that day.
WHO: A married couple – both 56-year-old Chinese nationals from Wuhan – who arrived in Singapore together on Jan 19.
DETAILS: Both cases did not show symptoms during their flight to Singapore. They only developed symptoms on Jan 24 and the couple took a taxi to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) three days later.
They were classified as suspect cases and placed in isolation at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). Tests confirmed the couple as having the coronavirus on Jan 28 and Jan 29.
Before that, the couple had stayed with their family at their home at Lorong Lew Lian in Upper Serangoon.
FAMILY 3: CASES 13 AND 26
WHO: Mother, 73, and daughter, 42, from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore on Jan 21.
DETAILS: The 73-year-old woman was a close contact of the country’s second confirmed case – a 53-year-old woman from Wuhan who also arrived in Singapore on Jan 21.
The elderly woman was located on Jan 28 after MOH made multiple attempts to contact her, and she reported having developed symptoms on the same day.
The woman had stayed at ParkRoyal Collection Pickering and Oasia Hotel Downtown, and visited Changi Airport and Jewel. She travelled by taxi and private transport.
Her daughter was confirmed as being infected with the coronavirus on Feb 4.
The 42-year-old had been taken by ambulance to NCID on the same day as her mother on Jan 28 after developing symptoms. She remains warded in an isolation room at NCID.
FAMILY 4: CASES 24 AND 25
WHO: A married couple with no recent travel history to China. The wife is a 32-year-old female Singapore resident and her husband, 40, is a Singapore citizen. They are among the locally-transmitted cases linked to a Chinese tour group that visited health products shop Yong Thai Hang in Cavan Road.
DETAILS: The 32-year-old works as a tour guide and has brought groups of tourists to Yong Thai Hang.
She had gone to NCID on Feb 3 with no symptoms – although she “subsequently informed NCID on (Tuesday) night that she had developed a fever on Jan 30”, according to MOH – and was confirmed positive on Feb 4 at about 2pm.
Prior to admission to NCID, the tour guide stayed at her home at Buangkok Green and worked at Jalan Besar. She had visited Hougang Polyclinic on Jan 30 and went to a supermarket near her home.
Her husband was also tested positive on Feb 4.
The 40-year-old man had developed a fever on Jan 24. He visited the same polyclinic as his wife on Jan 30, and self-presented at NCID four days later where he was immediately isolated.
Prior to being admitted, the man had stayed at home. He worked at Diamond Industries Jewellery Company at Harbour Drive, which the tour group from China had visited as well.
He had also visited Pasir Panjang Hawker Centre and travelled by public transport.
Both are currently warded in isolation rooms at NCID.
WHO: A family of three – a 28-year-old female Singapore resident, a 45-year-old male Singapore citizen and a six-month-old baby boy – and their foreign domestic helper who are all linked to the first local transmission cluster. All four do not have recent travel history to China.
DETAILS: The 28-year-old – case 19 – works as a salesperson at Yong Thai Hang and reported having a sore throat and fever on Jan 29. She sought treatment at a GP clinic on the same day.
The following day, she went to TTSH’s emergency department and was discharged after a chest X-ray came back negative for pneumonia. She did not leave her home at Jalan Bukit Merah from Jan 31 to Feb 2.
On Feb 3, she was admitted to SGH and tested positive for the novel coronavirus on the same day. She is currently warded in an isolation room at SGH.
Her husband and son – cases 27 and 28 – were announced to have come down with the novel coronavirus on Feb 5.
The former is currently warded at the NCID, while their six-month-old baby boy is now in an isolation room at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Both are in stable condition.
In response to media queries, MOH said the six-month-old baby boy was not in any infant care facility prior to hospital admission, and was cared for at home.
The family’s foreign domestic helper has also come down with the virus.
The 44-year-old Indonesian woman – case 21 – reported onset of symptoms on Feb 2 and did not leave her place of residence at Jalan Bukit Merah. She was admitted to SGH on Feb 3 and tested positive the next day.
Separately, a colleague of the 28-year-old salesperson is also warded with the virus at NCID.
View of Yong Thai Hang 24 Cavan Road. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
MORE ABOUT TOUR GROUP THAT VISITED YONG THAI HANG
There are now seven people infected by the coronavirus in Singapore’s first cluster of local transmission, which is linked to a Chinese tour group that visited Yong Thai Hang in Cavan Road last month.
The shop is a complementary health products shop that primarily serves Chinese tourists, MOH said.
The tour group of 20 had arrived in Singapore on Jan 22 and left for Malaysia on Jan 24. They later came back to Singapore at about 3am on Jan 27, before leaving the country at about 6am.
Two among the tour group have tested positive for the virus, MOH said on Feb 5 citing confirmation from Chinese health authorities.
Besides Yong Thai Hang and Diamond Industries Jewellery Company, the group also visited various spots in Singapore, such as Meeting You Restaurant in Hamilton Road, Royal Dragon Restaurant in Havelock Road, T Galleria by DFS in Scotts Road and the D’Resort @ Downtown East in Pasir Ris.
MOH said it has been almost 14 days since the tourists visited these places. It has reached out to 142 contacts, of which “all but one are well”.
“The person has been isolated as a suspect case and test results are pending,” authorities said.
Contact tracing was also conducted for the crew and passengers of the departing flight on Jan 27. Five are in Singapore and have been quarantined.
Temperature screenings and questions on travel history are becoming routine in the wake of the recent coronavirus outbreak, but that didn’t stop some Singaporeans from taking a Malaysian hospital’s poster a little too personally.
KPJ Rawang Specialist Hospital said in a Facebook post on Feb 5 that they have removed a poster that had asked visitors to declare if they had been to “China, Wuhan, Singapore or Sabah”.
WHO: Father, 66, and son, 37, from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore with seven other travelling companions on Jan 20.
DETAILS: The 66-year-old – Singapore’s first case of the virus confirmed on Jan 23 – reported having a sore throat while on his flight to Singapore. He developed a fever the next day and began coughing.
After arriving in Singapore, the man checked in to Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort and Spa. On Jan 22, he told hotel staff that he was unwell and was taken to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), where he was isolated and diagnosed with pneumonia.
He was identified to the Ministry of Health (MOH) as a suspected case at 10pm and was tested positive the following day at 6pm. He remains in isolation at SGH.
Other family members travelling alongside the father and son – the wives of both men and the son’s two young children – have also come down with the infectious virus.
They were among Malaysia’s first few confirmed cases after they left Singapore for Johor Bahru at about 12pm on Jan 23, before the 66-year-old man was confirmed as infected with the virus later that day.
WHO: A married couple – both 56-year-old Chinese nationals from Wuhan – who arrived in Singapore together on Jan 19.
DETAILS: Both cases did not show symptoms during their flight to Singapore. They only developed symptoms on Jan 24 and the couple took a taxi to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) three days later.
They were classified as suspect cases and placed in isolation at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). Tests confirmed the couple as having the coronavirus on Jan 28 and Jan 29.
Before that, the couple had stayed with their family at their home at Lorong Lew Lian in Upper Serangoon.
FAMILY 3: CASES 13 AND 26
WHO: Mother, 73, and daughter, 42, from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore on Jan 21.
DETAILS: The 73-year-old woman was a close contact of the country’s second confirmed case – a 53-year-old woman from Wuhan who also arrived in Singapore on Jan 21.
The elderly woman was located on Jan 28 after MOH made multiple attempts to contact her, and she reported having developed symptoms on the same day.
The woman had stayed at ParkRoyal Collection Pickering and Oasia Hotel Downtown, and visited Changi Airport and Jewel. She travelled by taxi and private transport.
Her daughter was confirmed as being infected with the coronavirus on Feb 4.
The 42-year-old had been taken by ambulance to NCID on the same day as her mother on Jan 28 after developing symptoms. She remains warded in an isolation room at NCID.
FAMILY 4: CASES 24 AND 25
WHO: A married couple with no recent travel history to China. The wife is a 32-year-old female Singapore resident and her husband, 40, is a Singapore citizen. They are among the locally-transmitted cases linked to a Chinese tour group that visited health products shop Yong Thai Hang in Cavan Road.
DETAILS: The 32-year-old works as a tour guide and has brought groups of tourists to Yong Thai Hang.
She had gone to NCID on Feb 3 with no symptoms – although she “subsequently informed NCID on (Tuesday) night that she had developed a fever on Jan 30”, according to MOH – and was confirmed positive on Feb 4 at about 2pm.
Prior to admission to NCID, the tour guide stayed at her home at Buangkok Green and worked at Jalan Besar. She had visited Hougang Polyclinic on Jan 30 and went to a supermarket near her home.
Her husband was also tested positive on Feb 4.
The 40-year-old man had developed a fever on Jan 24. He visited the same polyclinic as his wife on Jan 30, and self-presented at NCID four days later where he was immediately isolated.
Prior to being admitted, the man had stayed at home. He worked at Diamond Industries Jewellery Company at Harbour Drive, which the tour group from China had visited as well.
He had also visited Pasir Panjang Hawker Centre and travelled by public transport.
Both are currently warded in isolation rooms at NCID.
WHO: A family of three – a 28-year-old female Singapore resident, a 45-year-old male Singapore citizen and a six-month-old baby boy – and their foreign domestic helper who are all linked to the first local transmission cluster. All four do not have recent travel history to China.
DETAILS: The 28-year-old – case 19 – works as a salesperson at Yong Thai Hang and reported having a sore throat and fever on Jan 29. She sought treatment at a GP clinic on the same day.
The following day, she went to TTSH’s emergency department and was discharged after a chest X-ray came back negative for pneumonia. She did not leave her home at Jalan Bukit Merah from Jan 31 to Feb 2.
On Feb 3, she was admitted to SGH and tested positive for the novel coronavirus on the same day. She is currently warded in an isolation room at SGH.
Her husband and son – cases 27 and 28 – were announced to have come down with the novel coronavirus on Feb 5.
The former is currently warded at the NCID, while their six-month-old baby boy is now in an isolation room at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Both are in stable condition.
In response to media queries, MOH said the six-month-old baby boy was not in any infant care facility prior to hospital admission, and was cared for at home.
The family’s foreign domestic helper has also come down with the virus.
The 44-year-old Indonesian woman – case 21 – reported onset of symptoms on Feb 2 and did not leave her place of residence at Jalan Bukit Merah. She was admitted to SGH on Feb 3 and tested positive the next day.
Separately, a colleague of the 28-year-old salesperson is also warded with the virus at NCID.
View of Yong Thai Hang 24 Cavan Road. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
MORE ABOUT TOUR GROUP THAT VISITED YONG THAI HANG
There are now seven people infected by the coronavirus in Singapore’s first cluster of local transmission, which is linked to a Chinese tour group that visited Yong Thai Hang in Cavan Road last month.
The shop is a complementary health products shop that primarily serves Chinese tourists, MOH said.
The tour group of 20 had arrived in Singapore on Jan 22 and left for Malaysia on Jan 24. They later came back to Singapore at about 3am on Jan 27, before leaving the country at about 6am.
Two among the tour group have tested positive for the virus, MOH said on Feb 5 citing confirmation from Chinese health authorities.
Besides Yong Thai Hang and Diamond Industries Jewellery Company, the group also visited various spots in Singapore, such as Meeting You Restaurant in Hamilton Road, Royal Dragon Restaurant in Havelock Road, T Galleria by DFS in Scotts Road and the D’Resort @ Downtown East in Pasir Ris.
MOH said it has been almost 14 days since the tourists visited these places. It has reached out to 142 contacts, of which “all but one are well”.
“The person has been isolated as a suspect case and test results are pending,” authorities said.
Contact tracing was also conducted for the crew and passengers of the departing flight on Jan 27. Five are in Singapore and have been quarantined.
