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GAN KIM YONG – OMICRON VARIANT NOW DOMINANT, COVID-19 WAVE “LIKELY”

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GAN KIM YONG – OMICRON VARIANT NOW DOMINANT, COVID-19 WAVE “LIKELY”

Minister for Trade and Industry, and co-chair of the Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) Gan Kim Yong, said at a press conference earlier today (21 January) that Singapore is likely to see a significant wave of Covid-19 soon, with the Omicron variant now accounting for at least 70% of daily infections.

Gan said that the proportion is “likely to be higher and perhaps even closer to 90% or more”, and that the “Omicron variant has clearly dominated over the Delta variant in Singapore.”

He said: “Given that the Omicron variant is more infectious, it is likely that we will soon see a significant wave.” 

He added that most of the Omicron cases were “mild” and even more so for those who are fully vaccinated, especially those who have gotten their vaccination booster jabs.

Gan further added: “The percentage of those who needed oxygen supplementation, intensive care or die is far lower than during the Delta wave. This is in line with the experience of other countries like South Africa and the United Kingdom.”

Case numbers expected to rise

The Ministry of Health (MOH) also said in a press release that they are expecting case numbers to rise.

MOH said that “cases could double every two to three days and could reach 10,000 to 15,000, or even more cases per day”.

They added that Singapore should focus on those in the ICU instead of the number of cases because of the lower severity of the Omicron variant.

MOH added: “Nevertheless, Omicron’s higher transmissibility means that we cannot let our guard down, as an uncontrolled rise in overall case numbers could still push hospital and ICU admissions to unmanageable levels.”

“Significant proportion” of workforce may be infected

Gan Kim Yong also said that Singapore has to be ready for a “significant proportion” of the workforce to be possibly infected with the virus.

He explained: “

“If we have, for example, 15,000 cases a day, which is very possible, with each one of them out of action for an average of say about five days, we are looking at some 75,000 workers absent due to COVID-19 – this has been the experience of other countries and we cannot take it lightly.”

Gan added that businesses should have “robust” continuity plans in order to deal with the likely disruptions to their businesses.

Measures to be implemented

MOH said that they will be implementing a series of measures to get Singapore ready and prepared for the Omicron wave, including the suspension of hospital ward visits, among others.

Plans have also been made to enhance healthcare resources and tweak recovery protocols.

Minister of Health Ong Ye Kung, said that NCID studies have shown that although the Omicron variant is more transmissible, those who are infected carry a lower load of the virus and recover faster.

Ong announced that therefore, the isolation period for fully vaccinated persons and those under 12 will be reduced to 7 days instead of 10.

MOH will also be allowing an expansion of Protocol 2, where infected individuals can end their 72-hour self-isolation if they test negative after the 72 hours.

Booster programme extended

MOH will also be extending its booster programme to youths between the ages of 12 and 17, following the recommendation of the expert committee.

MOH previously announced that 18-year-olds and above have to take their booster jabs within 270 days of their primary vaccination series completion in order to maintain their status of being “fully vaccinated”.

The deadline will be set for 14 March, for those between the ages of 12 and 17, to give them sufficient time to receive their booster dose once they are invited to do so 5 months after their last dose.

PRISONER SCORES WELL FOR O LEVELS, MOTIVATED BY LATE BRO’S LAST WORDS

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PRISONER SCORES WELL FOR O LEVELS, MOTIVATED BY LATE BRO’S LAST WORDS

The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) recently shared a post on their Facebook page congratulating one of their inmates whom they named as ‘Adam’ for his stellar results in the recent GCE O’ Level examinations.

The post was accompanied by a touching story of his late brother’s last words to him.

Last visit from brother

According to the post, Adam’s brother had visited him in Prison a week before he met with an fateful traffic accident in which he lost his life.

Adam’s brother had told Adam that he is really proud of him and believes that he can do it.

At the time of the accident, Adam was six months away from the examinations and was unable to concentrate on his studies as he was grief-stricken by the death of his brother.

However, he decided to use his brother’s words to fuel himself and buck up a month later.

Applied for Prison School many times

Adam shared that he applied for Prison school many times but was always rejected and finally got the opportunity in 2021.

He feels fortunate to be able to use his time in prison fruitfully and meaningfully, adding that when you study, your world opens.

He spent most of his time at Prison school studying and revising with eight other cellmates who were also going to sit for the national examinations.

Adam also added that studying behind bars gives him more energy to concentrate as there are fewer distractions as compared to the outside world.

Thanked his teacher

Adam also shared that his form teacher, Ms Nor Aishah Binte Mohamed Salleh, had been a huge motivating factor.

He added that she not only helped them in their studies by making sure that they really understood the concepts taught to them, but also helped them in building up their character.

Furthering his studies

Adam did well enough for his O’ Levels, scoring a mixture of As and Bs.

He would also be furthering his studies and has applied to study a Diploma in Business Management inside Prison School.

Image source: Singapore Prisons Service/Facebook

INDONESIA: ADULTERY SEES FEMALE WHIPPED 100 TIMES, MALE ONLY GETS 15

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INDONESIA: ADULTERY SEES FEMALE WHIPPED 100 TIMES, MALE ONLY GETS 15

This happened in a province in Indonesia known as Aceh which is well known as a conservative province.

A woman who is a citizen of Indonesia was given 100 whips by flogging after she was accused of adultery whereas her male partner in crime was only given 15 whips after flatly denying all the accusations.

Judges decisions

The woman was given a heavier punishment as she had admitted to her doings to investigators, saying that she did it outside of her marriage to another guy.

In the man’s case, he was given a lighter punishment as he was head of East Aceh’s fishery at that point of time as well as married but he denied everything, making the judges face ‘difficulties’ in convicting him.

The judges added that because the man denied everything, there was no way where they could find him guilty.

They instead found him guilty of another law which required less flogging, which was ‘showing affection to another woman who is not his spouse’.

Initially, the man was given 30 whips but managed to appeal successfully to bring it down to 15.

Day of flogging

The woman, who was flogged 100 times had to have the flogging halted for a brief moment after she had problems with bearing the pain from the flogging.

Many watched and recorded the flogging process, putting it up on social media which was then criticised heavily by human rights groups.

These groups have condemned public caning, labelling it as cruel.

Even Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, has called for it to be abolished.

However, majority of Aceh’s population has still shown their support for this practice.

Image source: Unsplash.com

GUY RENTING HIMSELF OUT FOR $50 TO PRETEND TO BE YOUR BOYFRIEND ON CNY

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GUY RENTING HIMSELF OUT FOR $50 TO PRETEND TO BE YOUR BOYFRIEND ON CNY

A guy posted an advertisement on his TikTok page, offering to rent himself out for $50 a day to pretend to be your boyfriend for Chinese New Year.

The netizen, @_wayneee_ on TikTok, posted the advertisement earlier today and has already garnered about 100k views, along with some comments from potential customers.

List of services:

In his TikTok advertisement, he listed down some of the services that he is providing:

  • Pose as your boyfriend (so your relatives will stop asking why you’re still single).
  • Drive you around during house visits and collect ang paos.
  • Deal with people who keep annoying you.
  • Play blackjack/poker/baccarat/mahjong with your relatives.
  • Take OOTDs (Outfit Of The Day pictures) for you.
  • Feed you Bak Kwa and pineapple tarts.
  • Make sure your hotpot shabu meat is fully cooked before you eat.
  • Peel prawns/crabs for you so your hands won’t get dirty.

The guy was then seen in his video wearing a suit and posing for the camera, which he set on the floor.

Naturally, one would assume that he is just posting the video as a joke, but he captioned his video saying he is “serious”.

FULL VIDEO LOADING…

Source: @_wayneee_ on TikTok

BEAN CURD WHOLESALER AT PANDAN LOOP SUSPENDED FOR ROACHES

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BEAN CURD WHOLESALER AT PANDAN LOOP SUSPENDED FOR ROACHES

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) recently carried out inspections on the premises of Hensin Food at 151 Pandan Loop on Wednesday (19 Jan) and thereafter suspended Hensin Food to suspend their operations.

This is effective from Thursday (20 Jan) until further notice is given to the company.

Roach infestation found

Hensin Food, a company which makes wholesale bean curd, was found to have a cockroach infestation at the food preparation area inside their premises.

They were also found to be dirty and badly maintained according to SFA.

SFA then ordered them to correct the flaws that were discovered during the inspection and work on their food safety practices as well as the cleanliness of the place.

Bean curd that was produced on the day of the inspection was also asked to be thrown away.

The SFA also noted that none of the affected products were distributed for retail.

Advisory

SFA in their statement will like to remind all food operators to ensure the cleanliness and make sure that the premises are maintained properly.

Staff are also required to be properly trained on food safety management.

Enforcement action will be taken against food operators who fail to maintain standards or flout the rules.

Penalties

Food operators can be fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed a maximum period of 12 months for failing to maintain the necessary standards of food safety or for those who do not comply.

Image source: Google Maps

ACTOR LI NANXING BECOMES LATEST VICTIM OF SCAMMERS, INSTAGRAM GOT HACKED

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ACTOR LI NANXING BECOMES LATEST VICTIM OF SCAMMERS, INSTAGRAM GOT HACKED

Veteran Mediacorp actor Li Nanxing said in a Facebook post on 18 January that his Instagram account had been hacked by scammers.

The actor also urged his followers not to respond to any messages from his hacked account asking for money.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Li said that he discovered that he couldn’t access his account on Tuesday at about 2am.

His church friends then told him that someone was using his name and attempting to borrow money and that the amount requested was $40,000.

Thankfully the scammer’s attempt was foiled as the friend didn’t fall for the trick.

Here is Li Nanxing’s statement:

“Hi everyone, just to inform the public that our Instagram account @LNXGLOBAL_OFFICIAL has been hacked last night.

kindly do NOT respond to any other Instagram post.

We will try our best to restore it as soon as possible.”

Hacker told him to call a number if he wanted his account back

Li then received an email telling him to contact a certain phone number with a +44 prefix (the UK’s country code) if he wanted to get his account back.

The email was also sent under the name “Akilla”.

However, it appears there is light at the end of the tunnel as the actor’s account was reinstated on 19 January at about 9pm with the help of Instagram and Facebook’s IT team and nobody fell victim to the monetary requests.

ISETAN PARKWAY PARADE SAYING GOODBYE END JAN 22, AFTER 39 YEARS OF BUSINESS

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ISETAN PARKWAY PARADE SAYING GOODBYE END JAN 22, AFTER 39 YEARS OF BUSINESS

In a Facebook live session held by Isetan on their Facebook page on 20 January 2022, Isetan announced that it will cease operations at its outlet at Parkway Parade.

This is after 39 years of business at the premises, serving the Singaporean masses with their wide range of products.

It was first announced back in August 21 when it was mentioned that negotiations to extend the lease failed.

The lease will end on 9 March 2022.

Origins

The outlet at Parkway Parade is also known to many as the Katong outlet, and it was the third of many outlets opened in Singapore.

Isetan originated as a departmental store from Japan.

December 1983 was the time when this outlet began their operations.

Remaining outlets

After the closure of the Katong outlet, there will be three Isetan outlets left in Singapore.

They are located at:

  1. Shaw House
  2. Tampines Mall
  3. Nex

Contest for shoppers

As the closing date of the outlet looms closer, Isetan has organised a few contests for shoppers and also a final sale.

For more information on the sales, you can visit the link here.

S’PORE FLYER’S FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUSPENDED AFTER TECHNICAL ISSUE DISCOVERED

KanyeNorth
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S’PORE FLYER’S FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUSPENDED AFTER TECHNICAL ISSUE DISCOVERED

The flight operations on the Singapore Flyer has been suspended after a technical issue was detected during a maintenance inspection.

The operator announced on 19 January that the decision to suspend operations on the giant observatory wheel was a precautionary measure.

A spokesperson for the Singapore Flyer said that they are working around the clock to rectify the issue with a specialist professional engineer, but they did not mention when operations will resume.

The spokesperson added: “We seek the understanding and patience of our guests and partners and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Straco Leisure said in a statement:

“We are working closely with the Building and Construction Authority to conduct the necessary inspection, repairs and rectification works. In the meantime, all flights will continue to be suspended.”

However, the Time Capsule attraction, along with the shops and restaurants at the Singapore Flyer’s terminal building are still operating and open for business.

INTOXICATED WOMAN MOLESTED AND RAPED AT CHALET

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INTOXICATED WOMAN MOLESTED AND RAPED AT CHALET

An incident among a few colleagues who work at night and an intoxicated woman in 2018 turned out to be a serious crime.

The drunk and unconscious woman was taken to D’Resort located at Downtown East in Pasir Ris by 5 others and the 24-year-old was sexually assaulted.

3 of the man involved in the incident has received their sentences, the driver was not convicted.

  • 41-year-old Yap Chun Chieh was jailed for 12 years and received 10 strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to rape and outrage of modesty
  • 29-year-old Tay Boon Huat received 10 years and 3 months jail along with 5 strokes of the cane for sexual assault.
  • 36-year-old Gan Soon Chai was jailed for 15 months and fined $20,800 for filming it.

Last man involved pleaded guilty

32-year-old Yong Chun Hong who worked in Club V5 during the incident has pleaded guilty to court yesterday (Jan 20).

What happened?

When the woman was intoxicated to the level of unconsciousness, Gan asked why Yong had brought the woman along to the chalet.

Yong responded

“You got free f, why don’t want?”

Yong Chun Hong

When they arrived at the Chalet, Yong walked to the neighbouring Cheers convenience shop to get some food, while Yap, Tay, and Gan proceeded inside the chalet.

They tried to wake the woman up but failed to do so, When she remained unconscious, Yong and Tay informed Yap, “The woman is already lying here and you still are not having sex with her. What are you waiting for.”

Tay then proceeded to touch the woman and took her top and bra off.

Yong then approached the victim and touched her.

IRAS WARNS OF SCAM EMAIL TELLING PEOPLE THEY GETTING $20M FROM BILL GATES

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IRAS WARNS OF SCAM EMAIL TELLING PEOPLE THEY GETTING $20M FROM BILL GATES

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) issued a warning on 21 January about a scam e-mail circulating, claiming to be from IRAS and telling the recipients to purchase an “approval pass” so that they could receive money from Bill Gates, the 4th richest man in the world.

The scam email would even be allegedly signed off by the Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Ng Wai Choong.

Recipients of the email would be told that their bank accounts have been blocked from receiving $20 million from Bill Gates.

They would then be told to get a letter of confirmation from “the Bill Gate foundation” (yes, the scammers misspelled his name); or alternatively, they could buy an “international approval pass” to receive the money.

Ignore and don’t respond

IRAS (the real, authentic IRAS) has since advised the public to ignore the scam email and not respond to it.

The public is also being advised to not make any payment or follow any instructions sent by the scammers.

Those who have already done so are advised to make a police report.

Not the first emergence

IRAS also previously warned about another form of scam email last November, where documents containing computer viruses were attached.

The emails were impersonating the “Singapore Government Tax Authority” and recipients of the email were told that they have yet to pay their taxes.

Scam emails also emerged last August where recipients were told that they faced a penalty for unpaid taxes and were asked to verify their credit card details to facilitate payment for the penalties.

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