Among the various Covid-19 restrictions that have been put in place, being separated from one’s own children is perhaps the most difficult thing for a parent to deal with.
Such is the case for many Malaysian parents having work commitments in Singapore and were unable to return home due to Malaysia’s Movement Control Order.
However, last Saturday (Sept 26) saw a different reality for several families who received assistance to meet their children — some six months after the borders between Malaysia and Singapore had closed and just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations.
For the past two weeks, Singapore has consistently recorded two or fewer Covid-19 infections within its local community each day and for the past week, the average number of daily cases among foreign workers housed in mega-dormitories has fallen to below 20.
This is a sharp dip compared with just five months ago, when the combined daily toll was as high as 1,426.
The latest official figures show that almost 99 per cent of close to 58,000 cases have been reported as recovered, with just 31 individuals remaining in hospitals and 275 with milder symptoms isolated at community facilities.
On Monday, Singapore reported 15 new cases, just two of which were considered community transmissions. Meanwhile, countries in Europe are battling with a resurgence of cases while Malaysia has imposed strict movement restrictions in some areas of Sabah state amid a growing outbreak.
SINGAPORE – A 50-year-old woman was found guilty of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to her boyfriend, whom she suspected was cheating on her, by pouring boiling water over his groin as he slept.
Her actions left him hospitalised for 26 days and unable to work for about six months. He suffered second- and third-degree burn injuries over 12 per cent of his total body surface area.
The court rejected Zareena Begun P. A. M. Basheer Ahamed’s defence that it was an accident and convicted her on Monday (Sept 28).
In his submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Chong said the couple began their relationship in 2006. Over the course of their tumultuous relationship, they had broken up a few times, each accusing the other of cheating.
On Jan 12, 2017, Zareena saw her boyfriend at the HarbourFront Centre ferry terminal with a woman with whom she had, since 2015, suspected he was having an affair.
In the wee hours of July 5 that year, Zareena took her boyfriend’s mobile phone from his bag as he slept in her living room after supper. She read messages that the other woman had sent him, and “was furious”, DPP Ng said.
SINGAPORE – Singaporean students returning to the United Kingdom may have escaped being quarantined upon their arrival, but are likely to face new restrictions as the country experiences a spike in Covid-19 cases.
The UK is into its second wave of coronavirus infection, recording 6,873 new coronavirus cases last Friday (Sept 24).
This was the highest daily figure since mass testing began. This comes as many Singaporean students have returned to the UK following the lifting of the 14-day quarantine requirement for travellers from the Republic on Sept 19.
With the rise in number of cases in the UK, the returning students may be facing another round of circuit breaker-like restrictions.
However, some remain unfazed, and even welcome the move towards greater regulation in the UK.
“A lockdown will be quite reassuring because the number of cases in the UK has been rising and there is some anxiety about going back,” said Ms Yang Xin, 22, a third-year medical student at the University of Oxford.
She changed her flight from one scheduled for Sept 19 to another on Sept 26 on learning about the relaxation of the quarantine.
SINGAPORE: The meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions (MICE) industry has not been spared the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both the supply – event organisers and exhibitors – and demand – corporate attendees and tourists – have literally evaporated.
Borrowing famed author Spencer Johnson’s best-selling change management fable, it is time for the MICE industry to “move with the cheese” and keep relevant with new opportunities.
According to GlobalData, MICE tourism may never recover completely. Many conferences and meetings are taking place online. Meanwhile, businesses seek to reduce costs in these difficult times.
Furthermore, business travel has been made more challenging due to travel restrictions, pre- and post-travel COVID testing requirements, and quarantine measures imposed by countries.
A SOFT OUTLOOK
As more travellers realise the convenience, value, and safety of conducting meetings and conferences virtually in the comfort of their homes and offices, the demand to physically attend may be further dampened.
Video-conferencing and live-streaming platforms coupled with augmented and virtual reality technologies enable MICE participants to have immersive and interactive experiences remotely.
However, there may be some upside after the pandemic as participants are motivated by the benefits of learning and experiencing products, technologies and solutions on display, and want to personally engage with exhibitors and vendors, and network with leaders in the industry.
Some of the most lucrative and iconic MICE events around the world, like the World Economic Forum’s annual Davos conferences, are also resisting going online completely.
FILE PHOTO: World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab delivers welcoming remarks next to President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga at the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
In Singapore, it’s hard to imagine events like the Singapore Airshow and International Maritime Defence Exhibition, where participating organisations showcase new planes and ships melt completely into the virtual world.
IMPORTANCE TO SINGAPORE
There is a growing sense that Singapore’s MICE industry must be rescued. According to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the MICE industry contributed nearly 1 per cent of Singapore’s GDP in 2019 and supported more than 34,000 jobs.
It generated an economic value-add of S$3.8 billion, where MICE business travellers spent close to double that of leisure travellers.
The sector is coming under fire, especially after stalwart Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre recently announced a retrenchment of almost half of its staff in various functions – sales and events, human resources, finance and food production.
If the threat of COVID-19 lingers, Singapore’s MICE industry’s outlook looks bleak for the next few years.
It’s hard to see how Singapore, which positions itself as a leading MICE hub, can break even this year, given its high dependence on overseas business travellers and the high operational costs of hosting these events.
During this break, its state-of-the-art infrastructure in terms of large meeting facilities, hotels and digital booking platforms, established tourist attractions, and a vibrant F&B, cultural and entertainment scene have become empty ghost towns.
People drive past the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre on Nov 10, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
Indeed, the future of the MICE industry may be that of a hybrid model – with a mix of online and physical events – as government support and incentives, safety management measures, health insurance, travel bubbles and advanced technology can help push the envelope for its reopening.
MITIGATING FACTORS
The Singapore Government has recognised the strategic importance of the MICE sector and is helping to maintain Singapore’s leading status as a hub, retain critical capabilities, safeguard jobs, and create multiplier benefits for the economy.
To this extent, the STB recently announced that it is allowing exhibitions and conferences with up to 250 attendees to return to Singapore from October, after a successful pilot in August for a 50-strong event.
There is also high-level attention from national leaders to reopen this part of the economy. Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing recently announced that Singapore is also learning from the experience of other countries and working with overseas partners and event organisers to scale up MICE events in a safe and sustainable manner.
Recent industry surveys indicate that people are still afraid to attend MICE events due to the risk of contracting COVID-19, and the personal and business disruption it creates when vulnerable family members and work colleagues are infected and when business continuity is impacted.
As such, there is an urgent need for countries, airlines and MICE stakeholders to design and implement stringent end-to-end safe management measures and hygiene protocols to support MICE tourism.
While Singapore has a strong global reputation for managing the pandemic, it is also facing competition from other MICE hubs such as Dubai, which in July announced that it was opening its economy to tourism.
Working closely with its airline Emirates and the immigration services, and much like Singapore, it offers end-to-end safety management measures throughout the airport and in-flight journey, including free COVID-19 testing to every visitor who does not have a recent negative test result.
Dubai officials are hoping that Expo 2020 will reinvigorate their sluggish economy. (AFP/GIUSEPPE CACACE)
However, travellers will need to have health insurance and bear the costs of quarantine if they test positive upon arrival.
Even as travel bubbles with countries such as China, Malaysia, Japan, and New Zealand permit business travel, the MICE industry has to embrace hybrid events as the new reality to ensure long-term sustainability.
NEED FOR DIGITALISATION
In preparation for the new normal, STB has recommended that the industry move away from touch screens and adopt more face and voice recognition interfaces.
It is hoped that this will enable contactless interaction with the participants, leverage on augmented and virtual reality solutions supported by artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver personalised and rich content on-demand, and Internet of Things cloud platforms that enable the capture, tracking and analysis of visitor data in real time.
The pandemic has fundamentally changed how the industry works and convention venues, such as the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Expo and Convention Centre, have responded by investing in new technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Extended Reality (XR).
It recently launched a state-of-the-art hybrid event broadcast studio that has a three-dimensional stage and lighting systems to provide customised and immersive experiences to remote audiences, including beaming remote presenters “live” to Singapore through holographic presence.
The pandemic notwithstanding, the MICE industry also needs to build immunity to disruptions brought about by technology, geopolitics and climate change. As such, the need for digital transformation has never been more urgent for MICE players and its eco-system.
While technology cannot fully replace the in-person immersive and networking experiences, digital readiness will enable MICE players to offer alternative options to ensure business continuity in the face of the pandemic or other future disruptions.
MBS, is a good case in point, and currently offers three virtual conferencing options – full virtual webcasting and live-streaming events; hybrid events with in-person and online audiences; and hybrid events with holographic telepresence.
(Front row, left to right) Ms Kwee Wei-Lin, president of Singapore Hotel Association, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo and Mr Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of Changi Airport Group, with other members of industry at Marina Bay Sands on Sep 7, 2020. (Photo: MTI)
As countries learn to better manage the pandemic and allow larger hybrid and physical events to take place, industries that support MICE in Singapore will also benefit as attendances gradually increase.
While we remain cautiously optimistic, the MICE players need to start experimenting and futureproofing through hybridisation and digitalisation just as MBS has done in Singapore.
In doing so, they can stay in the game and reap the benefits of costs, productivity, security, scalability, transparency, and personalisation.
For example, hybrid MICE events can now readily scale to reach more diverse and larger global audiences who are unable to travel currently or in the future, and leverage on technology to provide more targeted, immersive, and personalised interactions and networking, without significantly impacting costs, productivity, and security.
Additionally, digitalisation will enable data analytics in real time and generate actionable customer insights for MICE organisers, exhibitors and participants, enhancing transparency and personalisation.
For the MICE players, the cheese has moved, exacerbated by the pandemic, and it is time they moved along with it.
Dr Prem Shamdasani is an Associate Professor of Marketing and Academic Director of the Executive MBA at NUS Business School, National University of Singapore.
The Police have arrested a 20-year-old woman for her suspected involvement in a series of e-commerce scams.
Between 9 June 2020 and 5 July 2020, the Police received multiple reports from victims who were purportedly cheated by an online seller advertising mobile phones and bicycles on Carousell. The victims did not receive the items after payments were made via PayLah or PayNow and the seller became uncontactable thereafter.
Through investigations, officers from Jurong Police Division established the identity of the woman and arrested her on 24 September 2020.
Investigations are ongoing. The offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code is punishable with an imprisonment term of up to 10 years, and a fine.
The Police take a serious view of persons who may be involved in scams and frauds, and perpetrators will be dealt with, in accordance with the law. The Police would like to advise members of the public to take the following precautions when making online purchases:
Opt for buyer protection by using in-built payment options that release payment to the seller only upon delivery. Whenever possible, avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers to the seller.
Scammers may entice buyers to contact them directly through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or WeChat by offering a better or faster deal if bank transfer payments are made directly to them. They may also use a local bank account or provide a copy of a NRIC/driver’s licence to make you believe that they are genuine sellers. Do not fall for it.
If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Purchase only from authorised sellers or reputable sources, especially for high-value items.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information on such scams may call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE 25 September 2020 @ 2:40 PM
SINGAPORE – A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty on Monday (Sept 28) to handcuffing and blindfolding a girl, then 13, before committing various indecent acts on her in a handicapped toilet at Plaza Singapura last year.
Alaric Lim Qixian was then a full-time national serviceman with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
The girl cannot be named because of a gag order to protect her identity.
District Judge Sharmila Sripathy called for probation and reformative training reports to be made.
Lim faces one charge of committing an indecent act with a child under the Children and Young Persons Act, as well as two charges of insulting the modesty of two women. The court heard that in March 2019, Lim met the girl at a cosplay event before they began messaging each other on Instagram.
He claimed to be a photographer who took what he called “risky” pictures of women wearing minimal clothing and offered to take such pictures of her.
The girl said she wanted to take part in a photo shoot depicting bondage, discipline or domination, sadism and masochism, or BDSM, but clarified that she did not want to go fully naked.
One moment, a bag of baked goods had been hanging on the front gates of home baker Mary’s Delights.
The next, it vanished — and not because the rightful owner came by to pick it up.
The baker, who declined to be named, came home to a rude shock last Friday (Sept 25) when she found the bag she left at her door gone despite the customer having yet to turn up.
In her Facebook post that evening, she shared how she had gone on a wild goose chase, only to find the remains of the pilfered goods strewn across her HDB block’s staircase landing.
“[In all] my 9 years in this business line… all self-collection has been a breeze,” she wrote. “But today, contactless collection has gone wrong when the item went missing.”
With work from home (WFH) arrangements ongoing for several months now, some of us may be met with WFH fatigue, especially when faced with regular midday disruptions — your neighbour’s renovation work, for one.
We know all about the alternative of working from a hotel, but how about working from an airport lounge? With travel an impossibility, Changi Airport launched a promotion for Jewel’s Changi Lounge access last month and I decided to try it out.
Their current package till the end of this month costs $12 for two hours, with a top-up of $4 for every subsequent hour you want to stay. It also comes with two drinks (choose from a selection of coffee, tea, soft drinks, and also, Milo), and a snack (a chocolate danish on the day I went).
A heavy vehicle overturned in an accident along the Kranji Expressway (KJE) at the slip road towards the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) on Friday (Sep 25), causing the entire road to be blocked.
Stomp contributor Jovial informed Stomp about the accident and sent photos of what happened.
In the photo, the heavy vehicle’s load can be seen toppled on its side, completely detached from the front section of the vehicle.
“It is one of those accidents waiting to happen,” Jovial said.
“Oftentimes, we see close shaves of heavy vehicle drivers speeding through the exit turn.
“Luckily, there were no vehicles nearby when the accident happened.
“It is a blessing in disguise.”
In response to a Stomp query, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at about 1pm.
“SCDF assessed a person for minor injuries and the person subsequently refused conveyance to the hospital,” said an SCDF spokesman.
