Singapore

SINGAPORE: It may seem like a lifetime to some, but it was precisely a year ago that Singapore reported its first COVID-19 case. On Jan 23, 2020, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said it had confirmed one imported case of “novel coronavirus” infection in Singapore. At that point, the virus didn’t have a name. Advertisement Advertisement The

SINGAPORE: Ever since WhatsApp updated its terms of use on Jan 6, many users concerned about their privacy have opted to uninstall WhatsApp and considered moving to other messaging apps. Ironically, many users may have already been sharing their contact details and the contact details of all their friends with Facebook, which owns WhatsApp since

SINGAPORE: A vessel that was chartered for a social gathering has been temporarily suspended from operating, after a group of people filmed “partying on a yacht” near Lazarus Island last month were found to have breached COVID-19 regulations. In a media release on Saturday (Jan 23), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said that

SINGAPORE: Eight visitors a day in a household and no shouting while tossing yusheng – this Chinese New Year will be a much quieter affair given new COVID-19 restrictions announced on Friday (Jan 22). The tighter measures come amid a recent rise in community cases and the possible risk of transmission during the festive period. Advertisement

ASHLEY CHUNG Corporate trainer Lost father to COVID-19 “Papa, you have been a good dad. You have done all you can to fulfil your duty as a father.” This is what 43-year-old Ashley wished she could have told her father, Chung Ah Lay, before he succumbed to the effects of COVID-19 on Mar 29, 2020.

SINGAPORE: One community case was among the 15 new COVID-19 infections reported in Singapore as of noon on Friday (Jan 22), said the Ministry of Health (MOH). The remaining 14 cases were imported infections and no new infections were reported in foreign workers’ dormitories. Advertisement Advertisement The sole community case was a 26-year-old Malaysian who is linked to the

SINGAPORE: Employees should continue to work from home as the default arrangement to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission at the workplace, said Singapore’s tripartite partners on Friday (Jan 22) amid the recent rise in community cases. “With the higher risk of potentially more transmissible strains as well as recent trends in COVID-19 cases in

SINGAPORE: A 38-year-old man has been arrested for voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant after he was advised to wear a mask, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Friday (Jan 22). The police received a call for assistance on Thursday at about 4pm from an auxiliary police officer from Certis.  Advertisement Advertisement He

SINGAPORE: COVID-19 surveillance testing will be extended to cover stallholders, shop owners, those working in the food and beverage industry and food delivery workers operating in the Chinatown area in the leadup to Chinese New Year. The testing – which will be paid for by the Government – will be conducted between Feb 8 and Feb 9, said the

SINGAPORE: After returning home from Australia during the pandemic outbreak, a woman knew she had to serve stay-home notice but left her house to buy bubble tea. She also went to visit a pregnant friend to help her with wedding preparations, and tested positive for COVID-19 about a week after this. Advertisement Advertisement Nurul Afiqah Binte

SINGAPORE: Former prime minister Goh Chok Tong said on Friday (Jan 22) that the second volume of his authorised biography will reach bookshelves in late April or early May. The release of the book, titled Standing Tall: The Goh Chok Tong Years, is planned to mark his 80th birthday, Mr Goh said in a Facebook post. Advertisement Advertisement

SINGAPORE: A vaccination centre at Woodlands Galaxy Community Centre has started operations, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said on his Facebook page on Thursday (Jan 21). “Yesterday was day 1, with 200 vaccinations for frontline workers,” said Mr Ong, who is a Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC. Advertisement Advertisement Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said

SINGAPORE: Baking, according to the chief executive of baking ingredients supplier Phoon Huat, is an activity that brings “peace and happiness to the home”.  “The aroma of cakes is the best flavor to make everybody at home smile,” said Mr Shuichi Sato. Advertisement Advertisement The 55-year-old is speaking very much from personal experience. He bakes

SINGAPORE: The police K-9 unit remains operational following the emergence of a COVID-19 cluster linked to it in recent days, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Thursday (Jan 21).  In response to queries by CNA, the SPF said that a “special testing operation” was carried out by the Ministry of Health (MOH) after the

SINGAPORE: Three more COVID-19 cases on Thursday (Jan 21) were linked to the cluster at BS Industrial & Construction Supply, bringing the total number of cases to seven. The Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 38 new cases on Thursday, including four in the community, of which three are linked to the cluster. Advertisement Advertisement Case 59512 is a

SINGAPORE: More than S$90,000 worth of illegal sexual enhancement medicines were seized during a raid at a residential unit at Sims Drive on Wednesday (Jan 20). About 62,000 units of the contraband items were confiscated, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said in a news release on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement HSA said it conducted the operation

SINGAPORE: During the COVID-19 “circuit breaker”, a group of men conspired to enter a vacant school and dismantle wires, leaving them behind for another group to collect and transport for sale. Seven bags of wires were taken from the Singapore Chinese Girls’ Primary School in the dead of the night in April last year, with the

SINGAPORE: Final decisions on the use of hormonal therapy “rest with clinicians and their patients”, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in a joint statement on Thursday (Jan 21).  This comes after an 18-year-old student said in a Reddit post on Jan 14 that the Education Ministry had intervened

SINGAPORE: COVID-19 vaccinations have begun for Singapore Armed Forces personnel, with plans in place to vaccinate the majority of SAF’s active forces by the middle of this year, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in a Facebook post on Thursday (Jan 21). Active forces include regulars and full-time national servicemen, but not operationally ready national

SINGAPORE: Singapore will host an ATP 250 tennis tournament next month, under strict COVID-19 measures and travel protocols for players and officials, said Sport Singapore (SportSG) on Wednesday (Jan 20). This comes after the ATP, the governing body of men’s professional tennis, awarded single-year licences for the 2021 season to Singapore and Spain’s Marbella. Advertisement

SINGAPORE: We know tax increases are on the cards in Singapore. The Government had earlier announced the GST hike in Parliament in 2018, to be implemented sometime in this term of government. The question is when it will happen. But after a year wrought by a deadly pandemic that saw Singapore tap on billions in our reserves,

SINGAPORE: A new COVID-19 cluster involving four confirmed cases has been identified in Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday (Jan 20). MOH reported 40 new cases on Wednesday, including four in the community. Three were included in the new cluster. Advertisement Advertisement They are linked to Case 59429, a 39-year-old permanent resident who

SINGAPORE: Four community cases were among the 40 new COVID-19 infections reported in Singapore as of noon on Wednesday (Jan 20), said the Ministry of Health (MOH). Thirty-six cases of the new cases were imported infections and placed on stay home notice upon arrival in Singapore. Advertisement Advertisement There were no cases reported in foreign

SINGAPORE: Two drinks stalls have been fined S$1,000 each and ordered to close for 10 days for serving alcohol after 10.30pm in defiance of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act. In a joint news release on Wednesday (Jan 20), the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the Singapore Police Force said that during Phase 3, the serving

SINGAPORE: Precautionary tuberculosis screening will be conducted for certain patrons of Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre after 18 cases were detected through retrospective testing, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday (Jan 20). The health ministry said it has been notified of two “genetically separate” clusters involving a total of 18 people diagnosed with

SINGAPORE: A German businessman who was given 12 weeks’ jail for possessing child pornography has failed in his attempt to have his jail term reduced to a fine or to have the charges “deleted”, after new evidence showed that the number of films was smaller than the prosecution originally indicated. A high court judge on Wednesday (Jan

SINGAPORE: Singapore attracted S$17.2 billion in fixed asset investment commitments last year, up from S$15.2 billion in the previous year despite an economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data released by the Economic Development Board (EDB) on Wednesday (Jan 20). This exceeds the EDB’s goal of having S$8 to S$10 billion investments

SINGAPORE: Many who fall sick with milder respiratory symptoms may hesitate to see a doctor immediately because they are not sure if they are really ill, said doctors and experts.  “It’s quite common for someone in the early phase of symptom onset to be unsure whether it’s the start of a cold or whether it’s

SINGAPORE: Four community cases were among the 30 new COVID-19 infections reported in Singapore as of noon on Tuesday (Jan 19). Two of the community infections are linked to a previous case, forming a new cluster. Advertisement Advertisement The cluster involving the police para-vet, meanwhile, has grown to seven cases, after an eight-year-old boy tested positive

SINGAPORE: The COVID-19 cluster linked to a police K-9 unit has grown to seven cases, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday (Jan 19), after one more close contact tested positive. MOH reported four new COVID-19 cases in the community on Tuesday, and one was linked to the K-9 unit cluster. Advertisement Advertisement Case 59428 is an