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Philippine health officials yesterday reported a record daily number of deaths from the coronavirus, two days before they begin mass testing, which is expected to lead to a surge in the number of cases. Testing has so far been limited only to patients with severe symptoms, fuelling concerns that the disease could be spreading undetected across the country.
About $9 billion in support measures will be rolled out to families and businesses this month, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday. This includes a one-off payout of $600, which nine in 10 Singaporean adults will receive tomorrow through their bank accounts.
Muslim devotees across South-east Asia are preparing to mark the holy month of Ramadan at home amid restrictions on mass worship during the coronavirus pandemic. Government leaders in the region have joined hands with top clerics and religious organisations to calm anxieties over drastic measures.
Doctors, nurses and other medical staff on the front lines of India's coronavirus battle are being ostracised, harassed and even assaulted for their association with the deadly disease. The problem is the latest facing the country's already overburdened healthcare system, which has only one doctor for every 1,445 people.
Reports suggest that US intelligence agencies knew a crisis was brewing in Hubei as early as last November. Yet, the Covid-19 pandemic took the United States and West by surprise. Global affairs correspondent Jonathan Eyal explores the reasons why.
Fresh graduates are in for a rocky start in their job search amid a bleak economic environment caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which could last well beyond this year. Those looking for work are burdened with many problems and fewer options.
During the ongoing circuit breaker period, Republic of Singapore Navy sailors have had to adopt more precautionary measures, such as staying on base before and during their duty, to reduce the risk of infection. For the littoral mission vessel crew doing daily patrols in Singapore's waters, this means seeing their families less often.
The world's ability to check the coronavirus and fully recover from the worst peacetime recession since the Great Depression may depend on what international economic policymakers decide at this week's International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings.
With all national team training halted due to Covid-19, Singapore athletes are at their innovative best, using bags of rice, kitty litter and detergent bottles as weights to work out at home. Basketballer Leon Kwek has even started a 10,000 push-up challenge to keep fit.
After years of working from home, columnist Tee Hun Ching found herself struggling to define her own space and place when her family worked and studied together under one roof for the first time last Wednesday, when home-based learning for students kicked in.
StraitsTimes Digital
VIDEO
Stay at home, Singapore
Eleven local artists have come together and partnered The Straits Times to give their take on music veteran Clement Chow's well-loved National Day song Count On Me, Singapore. The collaboration is also raising funds to help those whose families have been affected by Covid-19. str.sg/blurb314
VIDEO
How to make cloth mask
Sewing enthusiast Sheila Khoo, who makes cloth masks to give to friends, shows you how to make your own 3D cloth mask with a pocket and inner flap to hold a filter. str.sg/blurb315
