Singapore morning news for March 19, 2020

COVID-19 cases in Singapore reach 313 with 47 new infections, 33 imported
Singapore on Wednesday (Mar 18) reported 47 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total in the country to 313.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Coronavirus: 108,000 affected workers to each get one-time payment of up to $300
The payment will be funded by a $25 million sum set aside by NTUC, unions and the Government, and applies only to union members.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Singapore remains the most expensive city for expatriates: survey
SINGAPORE held on to its first-place seat as the world’s most expensive city for expatriates for the seventh straight year, sharing the top spot with Hong Kong and Osaka. However, the city-state’s gap with other cities narrowed.
— The Business Times

Singaporeans advised to defer all travel abroad amid heightened risk of imported COVID-19 cases
Singaporeans were advised on Wednesday (Mar 18) to defer all travel abroad with immediate effect amid a heightened risk of importation of COVID-19 cases into Singapore, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Coronavirus: Plans in place to turn normal wards into isolation wards, quarantine facilities into care centres for patients, says Gan Kim Yong
There are plans to convert normal wards into isolation wards, and quarantine facilities could be converted into care centres for Covid-19 patients with less severe symptom, if the number of cases here continue to rise, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Wednesday (March 18).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Singaporean university students overseas make plans after MFA advisory urges them to return home
Singaporeans studying full-time in overseas universities are making hurried plans to come home amid uncertainties about when they can return to their studies.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Food supplies still coming, but other Singapore firms brace for disruptions from Malaysia’s shutdown
Local food importers heaved a sigh of relief as their supplies from Malaysia arrived as planned, uninterrupted by the country’s movement control order which kicked in on Wednesday (Mar 18).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Panel to shed light on plight of the homeless in Singapore
An estimated 921 to 1,050 people are homeless and sleep rough in Singapore, a nationwide count by a team led by Assistant Professor Ng Kok Hoe of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore (NUS) found last year.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Not all S’pore Covid-19 cases may be hospitalised in future: Gan Kim Yong
Currently, all confirmed cases are being warded in hospitals.
— Mothership

Coronavirus: Support offered to Malaysian workers staying in Singapore after lockdown, says Iswaran
The Minister for Manpower has talked about the arrangement of facilities, to try and facilitate the supply of accommodation. Employers can then work out which best suits their needs, he said.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

MAS expected to step in early as risk of slump rises with Malaysia’s lockdown
AN off-cycle easing by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) now looms closer, analysts said on Tuesday, as recession risks rose on the sudden unilateral closure of Malaysia’s border with Singapore.
— The Business Times

Employers should tap government subsidies and hire people with disabilities: Zaqy Mohamad
Business at the Pan Pacific Hotels Group has taken a significant hit from the coronavirus outbreak , but it remains committed to hiring people with disabilities, said its executive director (asset, lifestyle & CSR) Wee Wei Ling.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Covid-19: 1 confirmed case visited Farrer Park condo, all common facilities barricaded
It was not specified when the visitor was last present in the premises of the condo.
— Mothership

Coronavirus: What is a stay-home notice, and what should you do if you are affected?
Singaporeans and residents returning to the country will all have to serve a 14-day stay-home notice (SHN), the authorities said on Wednesday (March 18), as Singapore reported 47 new Covid-19 cases, an all-time high.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Jetstar Asia suspends services for three weeks amid COVID-19 travel curbs
Budget airline Jetstar Asia said on Tuesday (Mar 17) it would suspend all services for three weeks from Mar 23 to Apr 15, and ask its staff to take leave during the period.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

St Andrew’s Cathedral closes for 2 weeks after church member infected with COVID-19
St Andrew’s Cathedral will be closed for two weeks after a church member was confirmed to have COVID-19.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Hari Raya Bazaar at Wisma Geylang Serai deferred due to COVID-19 concerns: PA
The Hari Raya Bazaar at Wisma Geylang Serai will be deferred due to COVID-19 concerns, said the People’s Association (PA) on Wednesday (Mar 18).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Grab’s career support workshops help increase job mobility for driver-partners
After Mr Saravanan Marimuthu quit his job as a wharf superintendent at Jurong Port in December 2018 to take care of his ailing father, he became a full-time driver with ride-hailing company Grab.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Coronavirus: NCID urges public to refrain from walking in, seek care at clinics first
The National Centre for infectious Diseases (NCID) has urged members of the public to refrain from going to its screening centre without doctor referrals after unusually long queues at the facility on Monday (March 16).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Correction directions issued over claims PA, RCs involved in organising SAFRA Jurong dinner linked with COVID-19 cluster
Facebook posts claiming that the People’s Association (PA) and/or the Residents’ Committees (RCs) were involved in organising a dinner event at SAFRA Jurong that a COVID-19 cluster is linked to are false, the POFMA Office said on Wednesday (Mar 18).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Cruise passenger traffic in Singapore down 52% since COVID-19 outbreak; STB to give industry more support
Cruise passenger traffic in Singapore has fallen by 52 per cent year-on-year since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak on Jan 23, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said as it pledged to give the industry more support.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Coronavirus: Without tough steps, Singapore might have 5,000 cases by now
Based on the premise of one Covid-19 patient transmitting the infection to another two, the number of people infected doubles every week if nothing is done to disrupt the transmission.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Malaysia’s lockdown stalls prefab projects in S’pore
The coronavirus outbreak is wreaking havoc on Singapore’s building projects that use prefab methods.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Coronavirus: NTUC extends aid to private-hire drivers not covered by earlier government package
Help is now available for private-hire car (PHC) drivers affected by the coronavirus slowdown but who did not qualify for the aid package announced last month.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

NUS scientists make aerogels from old rubber tyres, possibly helping to cut back on waste in Singapore
Scientists here have found a way to give old car tyres a new lease of life by turning them into aerogels.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

COE prices end mostly lower as coronavirus outbreak dampens demand
Trade observers expect premiums to remain soft in the coming tenders as Singapore and the world expect more uncertainty.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

SCDF contains ‘raging’ fire at Tuas warehouses
Firefighters have contained a blaze at two warehouses in Tuas, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Wednesday (Mar 18) afternoon.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Two Singapore-listed firms halt Malaysia operations to comply with lockdown
Two Singapore-listed firms announced on Wednesday morning (March 18)a halt to their Malaysia operations to comply with the country’s two-week lockdown of all businesses except shops selling food and daily necessities, to stem the rising number of coronavirus cases.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Hyflux to hold scheme meetings on Apr 22 and 23 for creditors to vote on restructuring plan
Embattled water treatment firm Hyflux will hold scheme meetings next month for different classes of creditors to vote on its restructuring plan, it announced in a bourse filing on Wednesday (Mar 18).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Taxi driver stepped on gas by mistake, hit three vehicles and caused man’s death
A taxi driver unintentionally stepped on the accelerator of his vehicle instead of the brake, causing a chain of events that led to the death of an elderly passenger in another taxi.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Three teenagers arrested over alleged spitting incident in Bugis shopping mall
Three teenagers, aged between 16 and 18, were arrested on Tuesday (March 17) for allegedly spitting over the railing in a Bugis shopping mall.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Cabby behind fatal Gleneagles Hospital crash jailed, banned from driving
A taxi driver behind a collision in the driveway of a hospital that killed one and injured five others was on Wednesday (Mar 18) sentenced to three weeks’ jail and banned from driving for four years.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Eye doctor who threw wine bottle at car sentenced to year-long mandatory treatment order
Lennard Harold Thean See Yin, who is head of ophthalmology at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, has to undergo treatment for his major depressive disorder under the order.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Jail for man who took upskirt videos of supervisor, performed sex act on her food
A man who took upskirt videos of his female supervisor and performed a sex act on her food was sentenced to 15 weeks’ jail on Wednesday (Mar 18).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Housewife punched maid, used meat pounder to hit her in the mouth
Singaporean Mun Sau Yeng subjected her maid, Ms Yuni Dwi Lestari, to several acts of abuse between June 2018 and February last year.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Feature photo PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency

This week’s Singapore morning news feature photo focuses on World Water Day, March 22

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

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Singapore morning news for March 19 added by Justhine De Guzman Uy on March 19, 2020
View all posts by Justhine De Guzman Uy →

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Justhine De Guzman Uy

Writer at AEC News Today

Justhine De Guzman Uy completed a Bachelor of Arts Major in Mass Communication at New Era University, Quezon City, the Philippines in 2016

After graduation she worked at the Philippine Broadcasting Service performing transcription and business news writing, before moving to Eagle Broadcasting Corporation where she worked as a news editor, translator and production assistant.