Singapore marked its worst ever recession in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although contraction moderated in the fourth quarter as the city-state lifted more coronavirus-related curbs, putting the economy on path to a slow and patchy recovery.

The financial and transport hub was hit hard last year by local virus-related restrictions, border closures around the world and sluggish global economy.

The bellwether economy shrank 5.8% in 2020, preliminary data showed on Monday, slightly better than the official forecast for a contraction of between 6.5% and 6%. The government has previously said it expects gross domestic product (GDP) to grow 4% to 6% this year.

The city-state has eased most of its coronavirus rules, although its borders remain largely shut. It began its COVID-19 inoculation programme last week, and the government is keen to open more of the economy with the help of the vaccine in a country dependent on travel and trade.

“Recovery going forward in 2021 will probably continue to be quite gradual,” said Barclays regional economist Brian Tan. “And a lot of it will depend on the speed at which the government can distribute the COVID vaccines and whether or not this can allow us to reopen the borders more quickly.”

GDP contracted 3.8% in October-December on a year-on-year basis, the ministry of trade and industry said in a statement, an improvement over the 5.6% drop in the third quarter. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a decline of 4.5%, according to the median of their forecasts.

GDP grew 2.1% on a quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted basis in October-December, slowing from the 9.5% expansion in the third quarter.

The Singapore dollar edged up to S$1.3203 per U.S. dollar, its highest since April 2018, after the data.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said last week that while the economy was seeing signs of stabilisation, the recovery will be uneven, and activity is likely to remain below pre-COVID-19 levels for some time.

The Singapore government has spent about S$100 billion ($75.45 billion) or 20% of its GDP, on virus-related relief to support households and businesses.

The central bank left monetary policy unchanged at its last meeting in October and said its accommodative stance would remain appropriate for some time.

“We don’t expect any changes in the monetary policy for now,” said Jeff Ng, senior treasury strategist at HL Bank. “The main bulk will still remain in fiscal policy in order to support the economy to recovery in 2021.”

Reporting by Chen Lin and Aradhana Aravindan; Additional reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Sam Holmes @ Reuters. 

When setting up your first Facebook campaign, note that there is a variety of Facebook ads and characteristics to note:

1. Video. Endorsed movies up to 15 seconds with subtitles. Though many eCommerce stores use product ads, videos have actually be shown to produce better ad results. It is important to use find a good developer with your eCommerce web development process and build a beautiful storefront.

2. Image ads. An eye-catchy photograph accompanied by way of a persuasive message. A digital marketing agency in Singapore will have graphics designers who will be able to design an aesthetic banner for your social media marketing campaign.

3. Collection ads. This is a photograph or video accompanied with several product photos.

4. Carousel ads. You can exhibit up to 10 photographs (or videos) in a single ad, every with its personal link.

5. Slideshow ads. Video-like ads, textual content to inform story.

6. Facebook instant experiences / canvas ads. Mobile-optimized commercials that exhibit all your videos, photos, carousels and product pictures in a single.

7. Lead generation ads. Seize user’s information.

8. Offer ads. Permit you to create, reductions and promotions to target audience.

9. Post engagement ads / boosted posts. Assist you share facts about your users who are commercial.

10. Event response ads. Find a digital marketing agency in Singapore that will also be able to help you to promote events.

11. Page likes. Can be used to force your target audience to like your Facebook page.

List of Instagram ads

Now, what about Instagram? Does Instagram has flexible ads like Facebook? Instagram has 4 main types of ads:

1. Photo ads. Permit you to exhibit pictures.

2. Video ads. Can be up to 60 seconds.

3. Carrier ads.Clients can swipe thru up to 10 photographs or videos, each and every with a CTA button that connects them to your website.

4. Stories ads. Full-screen advertisements in which you can share pics and movies with your audience.

As you can see, there are different types of advertisements on Instagram than on Facebook. Still, Instagram has something special. Let’s take “Stories Ads”. Are you aware of that Stories Ads that are higher than Feed Ads?

A recent Instagram Stories study found that most users spend nearly as much time on Instagram Stories as Instagram Feed. Instagram Stories Ads has also been shown to be best at promoting certain types of social media marketing campaigns such as app instals, lead generation and brand awareness. Therefore, Instagram Stories is a must-use social media marketing strategy that every business needs.

Here are a few guidelines that will assist you to begin your social media marketing campaign on a budget:

• Every social media marketing campaign should have a goal. A good digital marketing agency in Singapore will give you an idea of how well your campaign will perform and a reasonable ROI estimate. For example, if you are running an eCommerce store, a good digital marketer will recommend how to promote your new store. If you have just gone through the eCommerce web development design process and developed your website, getting your first sale is critical to taking your business off the groun and running.
• Every social media marketing campaign should have quantitative data used to calculate the Return Of Investment (ROI).
• Treat a social media marketing campaign as a business investment, not an unnecessary cost.
• Target the proper target market. A good digital marketing agency in Singapore will be able to help you to identify your target demographic.
• Every ad should a personalised landing page with information applicable directory to the user who clicked on the ad
• Use hashtags. A digital marketing agency in Singapore that is experienced with your particular industry will help you identify the hashtags that are commonly used by users in your niche. For example, an eCommerce store selling socks might not only include the keywords #socks. They might also want to include keywords relating to a specific item on their eCommerce store such as #elonmusk if you are selling socks with Elon Musk designs on them.
• Wow your target audience with videos, snap shots and photos of your products or service. Apart from finding a great web developer to help you to create a different eCommerce web development design, find out how your product differentiates from your competitors.

Looking for a good social media marketing agency in Singapore

Marketing is a huge part of every business. The most difficult part of starting a business is getting your first sale and working towards breaking even and breaking a profit. To start growing your online presence, you must first launch your first social media marketing campaign. One way to do this is to work with a good digital marketing agency in Singapore.

Call Digital Solutions, a digital marketing agency in Singapore, for more information at +65 6493 2970 regarding our social media marketing services.

Singapore reported 125 new COVID-19 infections as of noon on Thursday (Jul 9), including 21 community infections, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a preliminary update.

This takes the total number of cases in the country to 45,423.

There are four Singaporeans or permanent residents among the new cases and 17 work pass holders.

“From our preliminary investigations, of the 21 cases, five were close contacts of earlier cases and had already been placed on quarantine,” said MOH. 

There is also one imported case who had been placed on stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore. 

The remaining cases are work permit holders living in foreign worker dormitories.

MOH will announce more details in its update on Thursday night.

On Wednesday Singapore reported 158 new COVID-19 cases, including a 69-year-old-Singaporean man who was found unresponsive at home. 

The man, identified as Case 45227, died on Tuesday. He had been found unresponsive at home and was taken to Sengkang General Hospital’s emergency department. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on the same day.

He also had a history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, hypothyroidism and chronic kidney disease.

“The preliminary cause of death is cardiorespiratory failure, pending further investigations by the coroner,” said MOH.

All entrepreneurs or investors who are looking to conduct business activities in Singapore are required to set up company in Singapore such as a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability partnership or a private limited company.

For small businesses in Singapore, one of the most common entity types in company registration Singapore is a sole proprietorship company. It is the simplest and easiest form of entity to set up in Singapore. This simple how to set up company in Singapore guide intends to provide information on the process of company registration Singapore.

What is a Sole Proprietorship in Singapore?

The process to incorporate company in Singapore is simple because according to strict laws and regulations, only one owner is needed to set up company in Singapore. In addition, the process of company registration Singapore for a sole proprietorship is suitable for businesses that are smaller in scale and do not carry any risks during the course of business. For example, a repair shop with less than five employees would be most suitable to be incorporated as a sole proprietorship.

However, it is important to note that as a sole proprietor, you will not have limited liability protection and in situations of lawsuits or liquidation, your personal assets will not be protected and can be affected during the course of business. This is something that your company registration Singapore consultant should warn you before you go through the process to incorporate company in Singapore as a sole proprietorship due to your personal assets being at risk (in the event that you take on debt in your business).

Key Features of a Sole Proprietorship in Singapore

Here are some key features of a sole proprietorship that you will need to know before company registration Singapore:

• In Singapore, a sole proprietorship, unlike a private limited company, is not a separate legal entity; there is no distinction between the business owner and the proprietor hence should there be liabilities or debts incurred during the course of business, the proprietor of the Singapore company will be personally accountable for.
• The sole proprietor in Singapore must be a natural person who is at least 18 years of age when going through the procedure to incorporate company in Singapore as a sole proprietorship.
• Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents who wish to register for a sole proprietorship must ensure that their Medisave accounts have sufficient funds.
• The sole proprietorship must have at least one manager who is a natural person and is at least 21 years of age. The manager has to be a local resident in Singapore – A Singapore Citizen or a Singapore Permanent Resident. Foreigners are not allowed to set up company in Singapore without the help of a professional service provider.
• All sole proprietorship in Singapore must have a business address based in Singapore. Prior to starting to incorporate company in Singapore, note that residential addresses are accepted for business usage subjected to approval from the Housing Development Board (HDB) for public housing or Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for private housing.
• All profits generated from the sole proprietorship are recorded as income of the owner, and is therefore taxable at the tax rate as that of personal income taxes.
• Sole proprietorships are not required to audit their business accounts and there are no set up company in government requirements to file the business’s annual returns with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (“ACRA”).

Where and how to Incorporate Company in Singapore

The process of incorporate company in Singapore, including a sole proprietorship, is done online under the Singapore government Bizfile portal. The set up company in Singapore process includes reserving the business name and filling up the details required. Company registration Singapore of the sole proprietorship is usually fuss-free and can be completed within an hour but depending on the nature of business, it may take up to weeks if it requires special approval from other relevant authorities.

This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 39,850. 

The Ministry of Health (MOH) added three places to its list of venues visited by COVID-19 cases during the infectious period: A POSB branch at Kaki Bukit Recreation Centre, HarbourFront Centre and Waterway Point.

A separate entry for Mustafa Centre has been added, with the time of the visit indicated as 7.50pm to 8.35pm on Jun 9. 

MOH said it has already notified those identified as close contacts of these confirmed cases. It also advised the public that there is no need to avoid these places.

Of the cases in the community, seven are Singaporeans, one is a permanent resident, two are work pass holders and eight are work permit holders.

Eleven of the 18 cases were picked up as a result of proactive surveillance and screening, with six already having been on quarantine. 

Among the eight Singaporeans and permanent residents, six were tested as part of MOH’s proactive surveillance of persons who work at dormitories. Of these, four are asymptomatic. 

One case, case 39,732, is a 40-year-old male Singapore permanent resident, who had been identified as a close contact of three previous cases and was already on quarantine.

He was asymptomatic and was swabbed during quarantine to verify his status.

Epidemiological investigations are ongoing for the remaining case, a 22-year-old Singaporean woman.

CASES AMONG WORK PASS AND WORK PERMIT HOLDERS

Three of the 10 cases who are work pass or work permit holders were detected due to proactive surveillance of persons who work at dormitories, despite being asymptomatic.Two of the cases, an Indian national and a Vietnamese national, are linked to the Cassia @ Penjuru cluster. 

Two were swabbed as part of efforts to screen workers in essential services while five other cases were close contacts of previously confirmed cases. 

These five cases were already being isolated at government quarantine facilities.

MOH said that based on preliminary investigations, an additional five cases were picked up from its active surveillance and screening of workers in essential services and persons working at dormitories. 

Epidemiological investigations are ongoing for the other eight cases.

Of the new 463 cases reported on Friday, 445 are work permit holders living in foreign worker dormitories. Cases continue to be picked up among work permit holders living in dormitories, including factory-converted dormitories, due to extensive testing.

MOH also conducted serological tests to determine if some of the cases are current or past infections.

Cases whose serological tests are positive are likely to have had a past infection and could be shedding small fragments of the virus picked up by the polymerase chain reaction test, which are no longer transmissible and infectious to others. 

The serological results of four cases came back positive, which indicate possible past infections. 

Results are pending for the rest. 

INCREASE IN COMMUNITY CASES

Overall the number of new cases in the community increased, from an average of six cases per day in the week before to an average of nine per day in the past week.

The number of unlinked cases in the community also increased, from an average of one case per day in the week before to an average of four per day in the past week. 

“This is partly due to our active surveillance and screening of targeted groups, which have picked up more cases in the past week. 

“We will continue to closely monitor these numbers, as well as the cases detected through our surveillance programme,” MOH said.

MOH said 754 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. 

In all, 28,040 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.

Currently, there are 239 confirmed cases who are still in hospital.

Most are stable or improving, and two are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 11,546 with mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive for the virus are isolated and cared for at community facilities. 

Three clusters were found on Friday: A dormitory at 55 Genting Lane, a Stirling Residences construction site and another dormitory at 21 Tuas View Loop.

MOH on Thursday said a man who died earlier this week from heart disease had COVID-19. 

The man is the eighth person who had COVID-19 and died but was not added to the official toll because the death was not caused by the coronavirus.

In all, seven deaths have been attributed to heart- or blood-related issues. The eighth, a migrant worker with COVID-19, died from multiple injuries after he was found at a staircase landing in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

@ CNA

SINGAPORE, June 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Singapore welcomes Malaysia’s proposal to resume cross-border travel between the two countries.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore are prepared to work with Malaysia to address the needs of cross-border travellers, including short-term business and official travellers and Malaysian workers who were previously commuting between Singapore and Malaysia.

Such proposed arrangements would have to include mutually agreed public health protocols to allow the safe resumption of cross-border movement.

Both countries will require some time to work out the details and this will also depend on the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia and Singapore. In the meantime, Singapore will continue with practical measures to enable Malaysians to continue working in Singapore.

Related Links : http://www.mfa.gov.sg

No government is likely to fall as a result of its COVID-19 response, the impact on politics is still significant.

COVID-19 hit Southeast Asia earlier than most regions of the world, and today the region has over 90,000 cases, with more than 2,700 confirmed deaths. The low levels of testing in all states, bar Singapore, however, should give rise to skepticism. The virus is likely far more prevalent than what governments are admitting, and anecdotal evidence suggests that there are far more deaths than what has been officially reported.

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the economies of Southeast Asia, which are dependent on tourism and exports. The IMF is predicting a global economic contraction of 3 percent, and all evidence suggests that the globalized economies of Southeast Asia will be deeply impacted, with recessions in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

How will COVID-19 impact politics in the region?

On the surface, we see little change. There are only three countries that have scheduled elections or routine political transitions coming months. With a new COVID-19 election bill passed earlier this month, Singapore is moving ahead with elections as soon as infections drop; Myanmar announced that elections will proceed as planned by year’s end, but is introducing a series of administrative changes due to limitations posed by the virus. Vietnam will hold its quinquennial Party Congress in January 2021 and will be sure to capitalize on its COVID-19 management success.

The pandemic response in Indonesia has exposed Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s weakness, but with elections just held in 2019 it’s not going to change the government. In Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines, the response to COVID-19 has simply accelerated the authoritarian trends of the leadership. In fact, COVID-19 has strengthened incumbents, giving them space to capitalize on fear and displace challengers.

This does not mean that all leaders are safe or the trend will last. Weak leaders are more exposed. COVID-19 has constrained patronage to appease challengers, resources have contracted as economies have shrunk ,and the costs of responding to the virus have increased.

Ultra-royalist elites in Thailand have questioned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s competence for a while, and there has been a growing push to replace him and key cabinet members, though leaving the military-backed coalition in place. Despite reopening the economy, the Emergency Decree remains in place.

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s attempt to dodge a vote of no confidence has done him no favors. Leaders who lack broad public mandates and face elite challengers are vulnerable and beholden to their allies. They have to spend time politicking rather than focusing on crisis response.

All that said, we’re not predicting any immediate political COVID casualties. The intensity of the economic crisis tied to COVID-19 will be more determinant than the public health challenges.

We see five distinct political trends that will impact politics in the medium term.

The first is an abject failure in governance in many countries. States have basic obligations to provide security, education, public health, and a legal system to their electorates. In country after country, public health systems were exposed to be underfunded and poorly staffed. Governments were caught flat-footed despite seeing the crisis unfold in China and experiencing other public health scares since the 2003 SARS outbreak.

With the exceptions of Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia, governments in the region were slow to respond to COVID-19, sent mixed and confusing messages, peddled quackery, were largely in denial, and proved unwilling to defer to medical and public health advice.

In a region that is based on notions of paternalistic leadership, including the region’s few democracies, where people are not supposed to question the state, there is now a growing realization that government does not know best. Revered politicians have fallen off their pedestals.

Demands for greater competence and embrace of science-based approaches, especially among the younger generations, is sowing the seeds of new political forces. Civic-mindedness has already sustained mobilization at local levels and it is only a matter of time until such sentiments translate into greater demands for accountability and political movements. In Indonesia, the hashtag “Whatever Indonesia” is trending; an expression of frustration with the government’s chaotic response.

It is telling that in Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines the governments immediately adopted emergency decrees. Indonesia’s president considered adopting one. Governments were unable to cope with the pandemic with existing institutions and authorities and aimed for extended power, but these emergency powers, in all cases, were used to go after dissent first.

Second, the weakness exposed by COVID-19 has caused militaries to gain more prominence.

In Indonesia and the Philippines, the weakness of the government response has forced the presidents to rely on militaries and security forces to backstop their flailing responses.

In Indonesia, this has been welcome news for the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), which has sought to claw back many of the civil-administrative powers that it lost following the collapse of the New Order regime in 1998. Jokowi’s entire COVID-19 response team is staffed by acting and retired generals who are responding with an insurgency-based approach, an abject failure as the pandemic continues to spiral out of control.

We have seen the same thing in the Philippines, where Duterte’s COVID-response team is comprised of retired and acting generals, not medical professionals. The result has been a militarized response not informed by public health. Meanwhile, Duterte has called security forces to shoot people who violate quarantine orders on sight.

In Myanmar, the military has assumed a role in crisis-management, pitting itself against Aung San Sui Kyi’s National League for Democracy during an election year and at the same time using the distraction of the crisis to ratchet up fighting in ethnic conflict areas.

While regional militaries are providing order and using the crisis to accumulate power (and money), they are also exposing their poor capacity to manage public health problems.

Third, the greater role that security forces are playing accentuates authoritarianism. Many governments are adopting securitization to address the crisis and simultaneously cracking down on critics of the crisis response. This is worryingly happening in the region’s more open regimes.

In Malaysia, we’ve seen a shocking attack on the free press, which for the past two years had seen the most notable improvements in the region. A journalist was summoned to police headquarters for her reporting on the roundup of migrant workers. While there is no evidence of an overall shift in government policy to reverse the positive trajectory on press freedoms, such incidents point to increased intolerance of alternative views.

In Indonesia, circumstances surrounding the charges against researcher Ravio Patra, who raised questions about Jokowi’s COVID-19 response, raise even further questions.

COVID-19 is being used to curb discussion and necessary criticism – often dismissed and framed as “disinformation.” Thailand, Singapore, and Cambodia have all wielded their “fake news” laws to that effect, while Duterte has increased his use of the cyber crime law to target dissenters. This comes at a time where governments are breaking down the boundaries of privacy via the centrally controlled use of applications to track and trace citizens.

Fourth, the pandemic has exposed the glaring inequities around the region. Singapore, which received accolades as being the “gold standard” of pandemic responses, has seen the largest number of cases in the region. An overwhelming majority of the more than 35,000 cases (as of June 1), have been in the crowded dormitories for the 324,000 migrant workers who make the country’s first world living standards possible.

Thailand, whose excellent public health and medical systems have responded well to the crisis, has been unable and unwilling to address the large numbers of poor that can ill-afford a prolonged shutdown. COVID-19 has seen a rise in other health problems, as well as hunger and helplessness. In Thailand the number of suicides has soared.

Thailand, according to a the 2018 Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databook, is the most inequitable society in the world, a trend that has been exacerbated since the 2006 coup d’etat. The military and ultra-royalist elites simply do not care about the underclass, and as such the government has done little to support them. Thai government official are now predicting that some 14 million workers could be unemployed in the second and third quarters of 2020.

But inequality is rife around the region, and all countries have rising Gini coefficients. A prolonged economic recession will further exacerbate existing inequalities. The region’s social safety nets have serious holes and do not provide broad cover for those who need them.

In the Philippines, Duterte has tried to direct COVID-19 relief funding to the poorest segments of society, but simply doesn’t have the resources to do so in a meaningful way. The Indonesian and Malaysian governments are in a similar predicament – although in Malaysia’s case the former Najib government decimated the country’s finances in the 1MDB scandal.

COVID-19 spread through globalization, but it is a stark reminder that what made the rapid economic growth in Southeast Asia possible has been distributed inequitably. Unless the poorest and most marginalized of a society have adequate protections, then no one does.

The final trend is the growth of polarizing, identity politics, exacerbated by a vociferous religious fringe and rising xenophobic nationalism. This is not new. We’ve seen extremists Buddhist monks in Myanmar fan the flames of a genocide, the sudden reassertion of chauvinist identity politics in Malaysia, and the wielding of Islamist politics in Indonesia.

Both governments and the people have already proven quick to scapegoat certain communities for the spread of the pandemic. Thai leaders blamed Western tourists, ignoring community transmission. In Singapore and Malaysia, the blame quickly fell on migrant workers. In Indonesia, Islamists immediately resorted to their default position: blaming the Chinese community.

In any crisis, there is an innate response to scapegoating, but what is so telling in COVID-19 is that governments are not stepping in to counter those destructive narratives, instead often using them to distract from their own responsibility and their lackluster responses.

Extremist religious groups are poised to take advantage of both the emotions of COVID-19 – fear and insecurity – and well as government weaknesses; they will capitalize on the inequities of society and to try to mobilize their constituents through scapegoating out-groups.

Despite these trends that should cause alarm for governments and the elites who back them, they have several things in their favor. First, the weakness of the political oppositions. While we have seen the Thai and Philippine presidents further consolidate their authoritarian grips and go to lengths to crush the free press, the reality is that they have sustained a long-term assault on the political opposition.

Duterte has jailed political opponents on trumped-up charges, marginalized his vice president (who hails from the opposition party), and trounced opposition figures in the midterm elections. With a stacked parliament and supreme court, Duterte has wielded the police as a hit squad in his war on drugs, without any due process, oversight, or accountability. COVID-19 has seen even greater attacks on the opposition and the shuttering of the largest media conglomerate.

In Thailand, the military-backed government has used the courts to dissolve political parties and bring legal cases against opposition figures, already having stolen an election in March 2019. The government wields enormous coercive legal powers through its arbitrarily applied Computer Crimes Act and lese majeste provisions of its criminal code.

In Indonesia, the opposition was largely co-opted by Jokowi when he brought his long-time political rival Prabowo Subianto into government as the minister of defense. The remainder of the opposition is a very loose coalition of parties that have little ideological or policy affinity for one another.

In Malaysia, the recently ousted Pakatan Harapan faces divisions over leadership and grapples with winning a new national base, especially among Malays, and among its own base who are dissatisfied with their slow record of implementing reforms while in office from 2018 until February of this year.

In Singapore, an expanded opposition has yet to resolve internal differences. While people may cast votes for the opposition, it is usually only a way to signal displeasure with the ruling People’s Action Party rather than voting for an alternative.

In short, political oppositions across the region are weak, divided, and largely unable to work together. In several cases, they are simply not up to the task of governing at all.

The second thing in favor of governments is the ability to distract. Governments can manufacture security incidents and political crises. As no country in Southeast Asia has a truly free press, governments can use mainstream media to push certain narratives. They have more resources at their disposal to rent a mob or an army of cyber trolls to shape opinions on social media. While there may be opposition and dissent, the government has greater coercive power as well as the ability to mobilize. COVID-19 at least in the short term limits the ability for mass protests, forcing criticism to be localized or online.

The third tool at their disposal is patronage. While traditional patronage has shrunk in COVID-19, we will likely see the fire sale of government assets to cronies or potential political rivals as governments face soaring budget deficits amidst recession. Increasingly, as has happened in earlier crises, regimes will shore up oligarchs as policies move toward protecting elites over ordinary citizens.

While no government is likely to fall in the short term as a result of its COVID-19 response, the impact on politics is significant. The pandemic has exposed weaknesses in governance capacity, weak leadership, and rising inequalities, to which governments have responded with an overreliance on security forces and onslaughts on critics. At the same time, they have tried to buy off challengers through patronage, keeping the political opposition weak and allowed distracting scapegoating narratives to take root — exposing their own fragility. In the short term COVID-19 has been a political opportunity for many governments, but as the crisis deepens with contracting economies the pathogens within these regimes may also spread.

Zachary Abuza is a professor at the National War College, Washington, DC and an adjunct at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program. The views are his personal opinions and do not reflect the opinions of the National War College or the U.S. Department of Defense.

Bridget Welsh is Honorary Research Associate, UNoARI, University of Nottingham Malaysia and a lead author of the Asia Barometer Surveys.

This article originally posted on The Diplomat

Singapore reported 447 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Saturday (May 2), bringing the national tally to 17,548.

The vast majority of the new cases are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its daily update of preliminary figures.

Four cases are Singaporeans or permanent residents.

On Saturday, the multi-ministry task force dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore announced the easing of some circuit breaker measures, with selected services and businesses allowed to resume this month.

Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners can begin to offer acupuncture services for pain management from May 5. 

Home-based food businesses, selected food retail outlets, and food manufacturing firms will be among those that will be able to resume operations from May 12, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said at a press conference.

Some students will be allowed to return to school from May 19 for face-to-face lessons. These will include those who are taking national exams or those in need of additional help.

Even as the easing of the circuit breaker measures was announced, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong cautioned that Singapore was “not out of the woods yet”.

“New clusters may form if we let our guards down. We must press on with our efforts, so that we continue to keep the numbers low,” he said.

@ CNA

Even small, rich countries are getting caught off-guard.

Once lauded as a beacon in the fight against Covid-19, Singapore reached an unenviable milestone this week: the most cases in Southeast Asia.

Soaring infections suggest rapidly tightening restrictions on social and economic activity are unlikely to cease anytime soon; the prime minister said Tuesday that schools and most workplaces will remain closed until June 1.  The struggle to contain this pandemic even in a well-run, rich nation casts doubt on whether any country can become a global standard-bearer.

Singapore has 9,125 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, a tenfold increase in just three weeks, though has reported just 11 fatalities. That’s a blip compared with Indonesia’s 616 deaths, the Philippines’s 437 and Thailand’s 48. The bulk of new infections are from the migrant-worker community, which resides in tightly packed dormitories. These laborers hold many of the lower-paid jobs vital to Singapore’s first-world economy.

While the surge likely reflects more comprehensive testing than neighbors, this is an uncomfortable position for a place that usually runs like a Swiss watch. In return for its strong executive powers, the elected government has long provided policy stability, predictable decision-making and maintenance of health and wealth. Per capita income is among the highest on the globe and Singapore’s health system is in the top 10 worldwide, according to a 2019 Bloomberg analysis.

Singapore’s attention to procedure can chafe, but its methodical approach is often preferable to the haphazard administration that can characterize much of Southeast Asia. That’s part of what’s made the past few weeks so jarring.

Having navigated through Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2003, the government warned its citizens early of the risks from Covid-19. Singapore was among the first to restrict arrivals from China; temperature screenings at offices and restaurants became commonplace by February. For months, the government urged citizens only to use masks if unwell. But as the case count rose, the government changed its tune, and stopped discouraging healthy people from wearing them. That later evolved into an order: Wear a mask, or risk fines and prosecution. (Children under two and exercisers have been exempt.)

It wasn’t until the government’s early April “circuit breaker” — the term lockdown is frowned upon — that schools were shut. By that point, more than 160 nations had taken this step. The new restrictions also closed most businesses, aside from essential services. Fines are administered for people perceived to be breaching distancing rules; social gatherings with people outside your household have been outlawed, even inside private homes. Restaurants can sell food for takeout or delivery, but loitering is prohibited. After months of gradual limits on activity, officials hit the fast-forward button. New curbs were unveiled Tuesday, at the halfway point of the initial month-long circuit breaker that was scheduled to end early May.  Access to wet markets and supermarkets will be restricted. Residents are advised to go out alone, rather than with family members, and stick close to home.  

You could point to the lack of stricter measures to date for the rapid increase. But in retrospect, the 43 foreign-worker dormitories were an accident waiting to happen. Conditions in these housing units meant that once the virus got a toehold, swift transmission was inevitable. Tommy Koh, former Singaporean ambassador to the United Nations and the U.S., has criticized the state of workers’ living quarters. In an open letter to his grandchildren, published in the opinion pages of the Straits Times, he wrote:

“The sixth group of people we should praise are our indispensable foreign workers, such as our domestic helpers, cleaners, construction and shipyard workers, and others who work in jobs that Singaporeans are not prepared to do. We owe the foreign workers an apology for the atrocious condition of their dormitories.”

The government has responded quickly. Testing among migrant workers is widespread and will be stepped up, affected dorms are being isolated and healthy laborers are being housed in repurposed convention centers and military facilities. Ministers pledged to care for them and have acknowledged the essential nature of their work. Late Tuesday, the government said the migrant workers will be required to stop going to work and stay in their dorms.

For its part, Singapore has never laid claim to being a model in the battle against the virus, though Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong did note that the World Health Organization lauded its response in a March 12 address. In an interview with CNN later that month, host Fareed Zakaria invited Lee to explain the country’s success. The premier balked at any talk of victory and predicted a long struggle. “I know this has not been an easy time for everyone,”  Lee said Tuesday.  “We are making progress, but we have not yet succeeded.” 

Perhaps the best lesson from Singapore is that there is no single playbook to combat an adversary that disregards boundaries. Even the most efficient and risk-averse countries have been sideswiped. The pandemic responses of the future may wind up splicing together the most effective steps taken around the world — unfortunately, that’s a template we may not see for years to come.

By Daniel Moss @ Bloomberg LP

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story: Daniel Moss at dmoss@bloomberg.net

Budget carrier Jetstar Asia will resume partial operations to three key cities in Southeast Asia this week, with minimal onboard services and crew members decked out in masks and personal protective equipment.

From Tuesday (April 21), Jetstar Asia will operate five return services a week between Singapore and Manila, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.

Related: Philippine Airlines will resume some flights in May

Services on the “temporary network” are available only to citizens and permanent residents who are returning home or those with prior written approval for travel, said Jetstar in a media release on Monday.

The flights will operate until at least September, a Jetstar spokesperson told CNA separately, adding that the carrier is “helping to repatriate citizens and assist with freight in the region during this time”.

Passenger flights to Manila will operate on Tuesdays, while those for Kuala Lumpur will be on Thursdays and Sundays.

Cargo flights to Bangkok will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

While the risk of contracting Covid-19 on an aircraft is regarded as low, several Covid-19 precautionary measures will be taken onflight, including reducing passenger numbers to allow for safe distancing, said Jetstar.

A maximum of 112 seats will be available on each flight, approximately 60 per cent of capacity, the airline added.

Onboard services will also be scaled back and passengers will be served only water during the flight.

“In line with new circuit breaker measures introduced by the Singapore Government, all passengers will be required to wear a mask, at all times. Crew members will also utilise masks and PPE in accordance with guidelines,” said Jetstar.

Travel vouchers may not be redeemed for these flights.

International flights have ground to a halt amid the Covid-19 pandemic, as countries put in place lockdowns and travel restrictions to curb the spread of the disease.

Several airlines have grounded most, if not all of their flights, and placed their cabin crew and pilots on leave.

At Changi Airport, passenger traffic plunged nearly 71 per cent in March, while aircraft landings and takeoffs fell by about 50 per cent.

Jetstar announced last month it would suspend all services for three weeks until April 15. It subsequently extended the suspension until May 18, following strict circuit breaker measures announced by the Singapore Government.

Some of Jetstar’s crew members have taken up positions as SG Clean Ambassadors to educate the public on safe distancing requirements.

In all, close to half of Jetstar’s crew and corporate team members have taken up temporary roles with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), National Environment Agency and Raffles Medical Group, CNA reported earlier this week.

Manila, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur were chosen because of expected demand from those cities, the Jetstar spokesperson told CNA.

“They are where we expect demand for repatriation,” said the spokesperson.

There are about 200,000 Singaporeans overseas. An estimated 200,000 Filipinos also live and work in Singapore, according to the Philippines Embassy. CNA

For more stories like this, visit cna.asia