To Open or to Close Borders?
Imported cases of Covid19 has overtaken community cases for the past 2 weeks.
During this period, there were73 imported cases vs 53 community
cases.
Although returnees from overseas require SHN, not all SHN are in dedicated facilities, creating a possible loophole in transmission. Moreover, the high imported cases show that tourism in the near future would be difficult as long as the pandemic continues to pose a threat.
Tourism and travel look likely to stay suspended through 2020 and perhaps
2021. The issue of closing border could also be a double-edged sword given our own high infection rates.
1) 226 new cases
216 Dorms
9 imported
1 Community Case (ST Visitor Pass)
The 9 imported cases outnumbered the 1 community case. It consists of a mix of
PR, Work Passes, Dependant Pass Holders. Most of the cases are from India that has the world's 3rd highest number of cases. It might be time to look into entry requirement such as a Covid19 clearance from the origin country before allowing admission of pass holders.
2) All inbound travellers serving stay home notice outside dedicated
facilities to wear an electronic monitoring device.
This will be effective from Aug 10. Travellers age 12 and below are
exempted. The surge in imported cases could be one of the reasons for
this stricter regime.
3) 1 Community case is a prison inmate
The sole community case reported on Monday is a prison inmate on a short-term
visit pass who had arrived in Singapore before the implementation of border
measures, said MOH.
The inmate is a 26-year-old Sri Lankan man who tested positive for COVID-19 on
Sunday. This also marks another day where there are no local residents case.
4) Number of people allowed at selected religious sites doubles to 100
from Aug 7
Twelve religious organisations, including mosques, Hindu temples, churches,
Buddhist temples, and gurdwaras, will be allowed to hold gatherings of up to
100 people from Friday (Aug 7), as the Government eased some Covid-19 rules on
Monday.
They are: Masjid Assyafaah, Masjid Mujahidin, Masjid Al-Istighfar, Masjid
Al-Iman for Friday prayers; Sri Mariamman Temple on Fridays only and Sri
Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Saturdays only; St Andrew's Cathedral, Jurong
Christian Church, Amazing Grace Presbyterian Church and Sengkang Methodist
Church on Saturdays and Sundays only; Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery on
weekends only; and Central Sikh Temple on weekends only.
5) Covid19 patient in ICU. 1st in more than 2 weeks.
The 26-year-old Sri Lankan man, who is on a short-term visit pass, was
tested as part of the Singapore Prison Service's proactive screening of newly
admitted inmates.
6) Possible NDP FIreworks locations
There will be 10 locations for Fireworks in the Heartlands for this year's
NDP.
7) NDP Flypast Route @ Heartland
Route Map and Timing. There are 2 routes for the State Flag Flypast (Eastern
and Western) As for the Roar of Unity, there will be 3 passes island-wide with
one passing through the major hospital.
8) Free National Gallery Singapore : Gallery Insider Membership
Check out how you can redeem this membership worth up to $120.
9) Number of Suicides to be highest among those in their 20s :SOS
400 people took their lives last year, up from 397 in 2018
- 71 committed by people aged 20 to 29; suicide makes up one-third of all reported deaths in this age group
- Suicides among people aged 70 and above showed the biggest increase, from 58 in 2018 to 64 in 2019
- Suicides among people aged 50 to 59 decreased the most, from 70 in 2018 to 62 in 2019
- Suicide continues to be the leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 29
10) 10 Youths arrested for suspected involvement in case of dangerous
riding of PMD and PAB along Sheares Avenue.
They were arrested as a result of a video posted by one of the riders in the
group.
No comments