Saturday, May 02, 2020

Coronavirus News (72)

Get Ready for a Postcoronavirus World. The Economy Will Never Be the Same.
Coronavirus: crackdowns, racism and forced quarantine heighten tension for Africans in Guangzhou Community representatives say Chinese authorities risk harming trade and relationships with African nations .... Some tough measures may be a cover for finding overstayers, the professor says
Health care workers deserve our steadfast support, not just during a coronavirus pandemic It is an irony that Hong Kong is now stopping to clap for the health care workers who were harassed during last year’s protests ........ Attitudes around the world towards medics are not always appreciative: expect attitudes to change when these workers start demanding compensation for Covid-19 oversight
Singapore’s addiction to growth is built on the backs of migrant workers Some 90 per cent of the island nation’s Covid-19 cases are linked to migrant worker dormitories – exposing ingrained social and systemic prejudices ..... The question is whether conditions, practices and attitudes towards these workers will change after the crisis has abated ............. The coronavirus outbreak that Singapore suppressed so well during its early onset surged in mid-April, metastasising in scores of overcrowded dormitories housing the bulk of the island’s 320,000 construction workers, most of whom are from India and Bangladesh. ........... As of yesterday, nearly a month after the state enforced a nationwide lockdown, Covid-19 cases linked to migrant worker dormitories account for nearly 90 per cent of Singapore’s cases, which at more than 17,500 is the highest in Southeast Asia. ........

Some 180,000 migrant workers have been placed in isolation.

......... Government regulations such as the minimum space criteria for housing migrant workers – a woeful 4.5 square metres per worker – are partly to blame for the calamity. But so are the employers who exploit those regulations, as well as the public who have tacitly accepted for years that living conditions unfit for ourselves are more than adequate for men like Periyakarrupan. ..........

These deeply ingrained social and systemic prejudices, which existed well before the current crisis, remain at play when the government distinguishes between “high migrant worker cases” and “low community transmission” – a distinction that merely reflects the wider public’s separation of such workers from mainstream society.

................ the literally tone-deaf community singalong of a national song, Home, to thank those who have virtually no option of ever making Singapore their true home. .........

Singapore’s economy, whose high-growth model is greatly dependent on cheap imported labour.



Coronavirus: Singapore urged to consider migrant workers’ mental health amid ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown More than 323,000 workers in the city state are currently confined to cramped dormitories and other places of residence with up to 20 people per room ...... An online survey conducted this month found the majority of migrant worker respondents were expressing feelings of sadness and depression .........

More than 323,000 migrant workers in the city state are currently confined to 43 mega-dormitories and 1,200 other similar places of residence where they are largely restricted to cramped rooms which house up to 20 people...... Nearly 80 per cent of the country’s 11,178 infections come from within the migrant worker community, following a series of outbreaks inside their dormitories that began in late March.

......... the stress the workers may be facing – amid worries about being the next to be infected and anxiety about a loss of wages – could have a long-term impact on their mental health. .........

“These mental health challenges arise amidst the fear of Covid-19 challenges, the absence of places for the workers to go to raise their concerns, and the fear of facing consequences if they raise their concerns”

.............. deeply concerning, with conditions for social distancing still not in place in the dormitories. ........ Chinese nationals – who make up one of the largest groups of Singapore’s low-wage migrant workers alongside Bangladeshis and Tamils from India – were not surveyed.

Coronavirus: why Singapore fears a ‘hidden reservoir’ of Covid-19 cases Coronavirus cases in the city state have ballooned past 10,000 from just 1,000 at the beginning of this month ...... While four in five have been traced to migrant worker dormitories, there are also concerns about cases where the infection’s origin remains unknown ....... The number of coronavirus infections in Singapore rose to 10,141 on Wednesday, a remarkable increase given the city state had only 1,000 cases on the first day of the month. ..... Almost 80 per cent of these infections are linked to migrant workers living in 43 mega-dormitories across the country. .......... about 68 per cent of community cases are considered “unlinked”, fuelling suspicions there is a “larger hidden reservoir” of cases within the rest of society. ......... The circuit breaker measures that have banned social gatherings and reduced public transport usage and traffic volume by 70 per cent have helped to reduce community transmission.



How did migrant worker dormitories become Singapore’s biggest coronavirus cluster? Cases in the island nation have more than quadrupled in the past two weeks, propelled by a surge in infections among migrant workers ....... The government has upped its efforts amid criticism, with former diplomat Bilahari Kausikan saying ‘we did drop the ball on foreign workers’ .......... There are 323,000 low-wage migrant workers in the country, who

take on jobs shunned by Singaporeans in industries such as construction, estate maintenance and manufacturing.

Their accommodation includes 43 mega-dormitories with more than 1,000 workers each, some 1,200 factory-converted dormitories which typically house 50 to 100 workers each, and temporary living quarters with around 40 workers on various construction sites. ........ Manpower minister Josephine Teo attributed this rapid spread to workers socialising across dormitories on their days off, then again with different groups of friends within their dormitories. “They might, you know, cook together, eat together. Relax together” ........ “We did drop the ball on foreign workers,” wrote former Singapore diplomat Bilahari Kausikan, an active commentator on social media. ......... the poor living conditions faced by these men. They sleep on bunk beds, 12 to 20 people packed into a room ventilated by small fans attached to the ceiling or walls. Hundreds of men on each floor share communal toilets and showering facilities. ........ workers are transported squeezed into the back of a truck, and not showing up for work leads to a fine – so many of them work despite being ill. ........

worker dormitories, where conditions are nearly ideal for transmission of infection

........ The 43 mega-dormitories that house 200,000 workers are operated by the likes of offshore and marine company Keppel and real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, as well as listed companies such as Centurion, which also operates student hostels and workers’ accommodation in Malaysia and Australia. ..........

They charge construction companies who hire the workers S$300 to S$400 (US$210-US$280) per worker for lodging each month, while workers pay around S$130 a month for three catered meals a day.



Coronavirus: Indian superstar Rajinikanth offers supportive words to Singapore’s quarantined workers ‘This too shall pass,’ the 69-year-old star said in a Tamil New Year message to the workers who are under lockdown in the city state ...... More than 40 per cent of Singapore’s total of 3,252 infections are work permit holders, many of whom live in the country’s 43 mega-dorms



Coronavirus: after Little India riot, Singapore promised migrant workers decent housing. What happened? Some 13,000 migrant workers in dorms – mostly from India, Bangladesh and China – have tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of April ....... Their living conditions have now become a matter of national debate amid criticism they were in the government’s blind spot ......... Before leaving his hometown of Dhaka 17 years ago in search of better wages in Singapore’s construction industry, Zakir Hossain Khokan was a freelance journalist in Bangladesh. ...... It cost S$10,000 (US$7,094) to pay the recruiters, but his family was able to raise the funds by selling land and taking out loans and the 41-year-old is now a quality assurance officer, living in one of the city state’s many crowded mega-dormitories......... Since the start of April, some 13,000 migrant workers living in dorms –

mostly labourers from India, Bangladesh and China

– have tested positive for the Covid-19 illness caused by the virus, constituting some 85 per cent of Singapore’s total infections. ........

Singapore had its first infection as early as January 23 and the first migrant worker caught the disease on February 8.

........ About one-third of the island nation’s 1 million-strong low-wage foreign workforce are packed into its 43 mega-dormitories and 1,200 factory-converted dormitories, as well as an undocumented number of temporary living quarters on construction sites. ........

low-wage workers appeared to be in Singapore’s blind spot in its handling of the pandemic, which had won plaudits early on.

.......... Koh said the way Singapore treated its foreign workers was “not First World but Third World”. ........ a riot in Little India in 2013. A road accident in December that year killed an Indian construction worker, angering other foreign workers who formed a 300-strong mob that set fire to police and emergency vehicles. Some 50 police officers were injured and the government had to mobilise its elite Gurkha contingent. ........ a committee of inquiry to investigate the riot. Residents testified that migrant workers, who visited Little India to buy groceries and remit money, would often congregate under apartment buildings to drink and eat. Some residents said they were unhappy that the workers littered, vomited and urinated there. ........ Another reason for the rapid spread was that most migrant workers continued to do their jobs even after some businesses in Singapore had begun to implement work-from-home arrangements and other mitigation efforts ......... In response to the surging rates of infection among migrant workers, Singapore gazetted 25 of its 43 dormitories as isolation zones, with workers staying in their rooms and meals sent to them. All construction has been halted and workers outside dorms have been put on stay-home notice. The government is also testing close to 3,000 workers a day and quickly isolating sick ones. In dorms with widespread infections, workers showing symptoms are isolated and monitored, and only tested later. ........ defended the dormitories, saying that they were “designed in normal times and deemed to be entirely appropriate”. “Two months ago, no one had heard of safe distancing, and no one envisaged anything like Covid-19” ........ “Their fear of speaking out and having visas revoked and lack of direct communication channels to the state are both structural problems that need to be addressed,” she said, suggesting that “a dorm management committee of sorts for each dormitory or a union of migrants to better represent migrant interests directly to the relevant ministries could be formed”. ............

While some workers might flee Singapore in the wake of the pandemic, advocates said more would come because of the enduring poverty in their homelands.

....... “Are migrant workers simply recipients of pity and charity? Or is it time for a rights-based approach that fully respects our shared humanity and concretely, legally and practically, empowers the workers? To change government policy, we need to change the mentality of society” ........ April 2020: Infections spiked throughout the month as the disease tore through dormitories, with more than 1,000 new cases on some days. By April 30, Singapore had more than 16,000 cases – nine in 10 of which were migrant workers. All construction was halted and workers who were not locked down were placed on stay-home notices





Taiwan rewards health minister Chen Shih-chung’s coronavirus success story

The Taiwanese pandemic response has been one of the best in the world and the public is giving credit to one man

...... Professionals and public praise calm, informative style and occasional displays of humour ........

Taiwan’s health minister Chen Shih-chung

............ “If you go clockwise, you will win, if you go anticlockwise, you will lose.” ....... With more than 3 million Covid-19 infections worldwide, Taiwan – which has reported just 429 cases and six deaths since January 21 – is one of the few places in the world to have kept the pandemic at bay. As of Friday, there had been no new cases in Taiwan for six consecutive days and no local transmission for 19 days in a row. ......... Chen’s swift response, timely orders and frank communications ..... the minister, who often tells reporters at the daily briefing: “Have a heart! We all should keep empathy in dealing with certain matters.” .........

praised Chen for being a good communicator with high emotional intelligence.

......... has worked hard to keep Taiwan’s pandemic response in the hands of health professionals. He has often stressed that

“political rhetoric would only spoil professionalism and confrontation serves only to split society”

. .......... In a March 26 opinion poll by Taiwan’s cable news network TVBS, Chen – who has become the most searched person on Google in the past few months in Taiwan – was given an approval rating of 91 per cent, highest by far of all Taiwan’s politicians, including Tsai. ......... “He is a workaholic, often giving his time to work and meetings,” she said, adding that when she asked her four-year-old son what gifts should be given for his dad’s birthday, he said: “Work meetings.”

Bank of China’s US$1 billion hole from plunging oil shows how investors and banks alike are ill-prepared for risks of chasing after high returns Bank of China’s Crude Oil Treasure product would ultimately burn holes in the pockets of the lender’s retail customers, estimated to total 7 billion yuan ..... At least 60,000 people have invested in the product, according to Chinese media ........

anyone holding the contracts after their expiry on April 22 could be forced to take delivery of the crude oil in Cushing, Oklahoma.

......... “This is utterly disheartening and beyond any normal person's comprehension,” Wang said .......... That would make China’s oldest bank the biggest known victim of April’s melee in the global oil market, surpassing the collapse of Singapore’s Hin Leong oil-trading empire.......... Two decades since becoming a World Trade Organisation member, Chinese households – with

US$10 trillion in total savings

– are still limited by a dearth of investible options, forcing many adventurous investors to pursue high-yielding speculations often without proper appreciation of the associated risks. Over the years, these have veered from real estate to fine art and Bordeaux wine, to speculations in such exotic products as Pu’er tea and even the hoarding of garlic. .......... “All hope is gone,” Wang said. “I hadn't been able to sleep and I have no appetite to eat since this happened.”



Coronavirus more likely to kill men and the obese, study says British researchers link being male or obese to lower Covid-19 survival rates in largest study conducted outside China .......

Obese people could be at greater risk because they have reduced lung function and their immune systems may overreact

......... China,” where 6.6 per cent of adults were obese in 2016, compared with 29 per cent in England in 2017. ........ obese people are dying more than other groups because they have reduced lung function and possibly more inflammation in adipose tissue, the fatty tissue found under the skin and around internal organs. ....... This might then contribute to an enhanced “cytokine storm”, a potentially life-threatening overreaction by the body’s immune system.

Trump weighs banning US$50 billion of US federal savings from holding MSCI emerging market stocks, including Chinese equities The US Thrift Savings Plan is scheduled to transfer US$50 billion of its international fund to mirror an MSCI All Country Wolrd Index, which captures equities in emerging markets including China ...... Opponents of the transfer, including Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, in recent weeks have engaged in a last-minute effort to stop it

It’s unfair to blame China for coronavirus pandemic, Lancet editor tells state media Richard Horton tells state broadcaster CCTV the rest of the world should try to work with China rather than pointing the finger ...... British medical journal’s editor-in-chief says ‘China is not responsible’ for the Covid-19 outbreak first identified in Wuhan .......... the international community should instead work with the Chinese authorities in dealing with the outbreak. ..........

“China didn’t want this epidemic”

....... “China isn’t responsible for this pandemic. It’s happened.” ....... The editor of the British-based medical journal offered a strong defence of China during the CCTV interview, saying that while it is important to understand the origin of the virus, it was “not helpful” and “not scientific” to seek for a patient zero and such efforts could be “highly stigmatising and discriminatory”. ........... “It’s very important to understand the origin of this virus and to study those origins scientifically and not to allow such conspiracy theories to contaminate our thinking,” he said, adding that

these would only “risk destabilising our response to this virus”

. ....... “What is very disappointing is seeing the politicians who are giving credibility to conspiracy theories … and damaging the potential and prospect of global collaboration by being so openly critical of other countries such as China and organisations such as the World Health Organisation. I don’t think that’s a helpful response,” Horton said, adding that

countries should work “intensively together” to address the challenge of the pandemic

. ....... Horton has been vocal in criticising Western governments’ slow response to the pandemic, and in the interview said that many leaders had ignored repeated warnings in a series of papers published in The Lancet about the danger and risk posed by the virus........ “Most Western countries and the United States of America wasted the whole of February and early March before they acted” ........ Last month Horton also criticised Donald Trump’s decision to halt funding to the World Health Organisation, calling it “a crime against humanity” on Twitter.





Pros And Cons Of Reopening America Before Coronavirus Pandemic Ends Definitely better option from virus’s perspective. ..... Already burned business down for insurance money.

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