1 More curbs in Bangkok
All Bangkok's shops, including convenience stores and supermarkets, will have to close from midnight to 5am, while all parks have to be shut effective today until at least April 30, officials announced yesterday. The order is the latest in the series of gradual closures of various venues and restrictions in Bangkok and most parts of Thailand.
2 New law for contract relief
A Bill to be introduced in Parliament next week will give protection to individuals and companies who are unable to fulfil their contractual obligations because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Law said it intends to expedite the law's passage.
3 Debate over use of masks
The authorities are reviewing the data on who should wear face masks and will make their recommendations in time. But with masks in short supply, it would be hard to have everyone wearing a mask, said an infectious diseases expert.
4 Asian Americans a target
More than 1,000 Asian Americans have logged on to a website to share stories of being attacked because Covid-19 originated in China. A gun-store owner in Los Angeles County told The Straits Times he has seen a surge in Asian customers in recent months, many of them first-time gun buyers.
5 Cost of closing schools
Some parents want schools closed during the coronavirus outbreak. But closing schools carries a cost to society and students, and is not a decision to be taken lightly, says senior education correspondent Sandra Davie.
6 S'poreans apply for aid
About 3,500 applications were made yesterday for the Temporary Relief Fund, which gives a one-time cash assistance of $500 to those who have been financially affected by the coronavirus outbreak through losing their jobs or income. Singaporeans and permanent residents have until the end of the month to apply.
7 BMT changes due to virus
The longstanding practice of having parents at the Basic Military Training Centre to watch their newly enlisted sons take the oath of allegiance has been stopped till at least April 30, as the Singapore Armed Forces ramps up its measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Instead, parents will have to watch this rite of passage on video.
8 Private home prices down
Singapore's property market has caught its first chill from the coronavirus, with quarterly private home prices declining for the first time in a year. But market watchers said they are not expecting a sharp fall in prices, going forward. Prices of private residential properties dropped 1.2 per cent in the first quarter of this year from the previous quarter.
9 17 more join Spex scheme
Singapore's first female Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Constance Lien was among 17 first-time recipients of the Sports Excellence Scholarship (spexScholarship) yesterday. This year, a total of 79 national athletes were awarded the scholarship, which provides them with financial and training support.
10 Explore biennale online
The Singapore Biennale closed on March 22, but art lovers can still check out the works online as all works from 11 venues will be uploaded to the Google Cultural Institute by the end of this month. The works from 77 artists and collectives will form an online exhibition by organiser Singapore Art Museum on Google's platform.
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