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SINGAPORE: Singaporeans have to "calibrate" and "carry on with economic activity" even though the risks are higher in Phase 2 of Singapore's reopening, said Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam. He was speaking to host Diana Ser in the first of three special episodes of In Conversation. “The key thing is to tell people that if we take sufficient measures and if each one of us treats ourselves as a frontliner in this fight and that each one of us bears individual responsibility ... we can have a successful Phase 2 and move towards Phase 3,” Mr Shanmugam added. It was decided that Singapore would go into Phase 2 of its reopening - which began on Jun 19 - following the lifting of the COVID-19 "circuit breaker" as community infection rates "remained generally stable” in Phase 1 despite the increase in workplace activity, said the Ministry of Health. READ: COVID-19: Phase 2 of reopening to start from Jun 19, social gatherings of up to five people allowed GOVT … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Economic activity has to continue despite risks; every person bears ‘individual responsibility’, says Shanmugam

SINGAPORE - The coronavirus will remain a problem for a long time yet, and Singaporeans will have to learn to live with it for the long term, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (June 7). This means getting used to new arrangements in the way people work, play and lead their everyday lives, he said. "It will take at least a year, probably longer, before vaccines become widely available," said Mr Lee in the first of six national broadcasts on Singapore's future after the Covid-19 pandemic. "We will have to learn to live with Covid-19 for the long term, as we have done in the past with other dangerous infectious diseases, like tuberculosis." In his speech, the Prime Minister sketched out Singapore's progress in tackling the pandemic so far. New cases in the wider community have come down and the situation in migrant worker dormitories has stabilised, he said. The healthcare system is coping well, and Singapore's coronavirus fatality rate - at 0.06 per cent … [Read more...] about Covid-19 will remain a problem for a long time yet, everyone has to adjust the way we live, work and play: PM Lee

LONDON: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating financial impact on rugby around the world but has given the sport a convenient opportunity to once again focus on the perennial challenge of a global calendar, World Rugby head Brett Gosper said on Monday. Marking the one-year anniversary of the 2019 World Cup final, the sport's governing body published figures from data company Nielsen showing a surge in interest globally, led by the women's game and, in Asia particularly, the World Cup in Japan. "We're pleased from an operational point of view how rugby has responded to the challenge (of COVID) and, coupled with some figures in this report, that allows us to look past this time for a very optimistic future," Gosper told a news conference. "We were very fortunate in terms of revenue funding that we got a World Cup away just in time, and the next one is three years away and will be a bumper one in revenue terms so we can be relatively optimistic - though we have to change our … [Read more...] about COVID-19 pause has helped global calendar talks, says Gosper

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has tested negative for COVID-19 and he is not infectious to others, the White House physician said on Monday (Oct 12), 10 days after Trump announced he had contracted the coronavirus. In a memo released by the White House just hours before Trump was due to resume holding campaign rallies, Dr Sean Conley said the president had tested negative on consecutive days using an Abbott Laboratories BinaxNOW antigen card. Conley said the negative tests and other clinical and laboratory data "indicate a lack of detectable viral replication". Trump's medical team had determined that based on the data and guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "the president is not infectious to others", Conley said. Trump returns to the campaign trail on Monday night with a rally in Sanford, Florida, his first since he disclosed on Oct 2 that he tested positive for COVID-19. READ: Trump says he is 'immune' from COVID-19 Democratic … [Read more...] about Trump has tested negative for COVID-19 on consecutive days: White House doctor

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) is tapping existing investors for up to S$15 billion (US$10.48 billion) through the sale of shares and convertible bonds to offset the shock to its business from the coronavirus outbreak. The fund raising is being underwritten by the airline's biggest investor, Temasek Holdings, which owns about 55 per cent of the group. "This is an exceptional time for the SIA Group," SIA chairman Peter Seah said in a statement late on Thursday (Mar 26). READ: COVID-19 Budget - More than S$1 billion for aviation, tourism, other sectors SIA's shares went into a rare trading halt earlier in the day after plunging to their lowest in 22 years as investors feared the pandemic will have a deep impact on the company. Many governments worldwide have already stepped in to help airlines hammered by the virus-induced travel slump, with the United States offering US$58 billion in aid as widespread travel restrictions force many carriers to ground fleets and order … [Read more...] about Singapore Airlines taps investors for up to US$10.5b amid coronavirus shock