Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said at a press conference for the Multi-Ministry Task Force that Singaporeans aged between 12 and 39, can now book their appointments for the Covid-19 vaccination from tomorrow (11 June) onwards.
Ong said:
“This is a big group of about 1.5 million people who have yet to be vaccinated, so Singapore citizens aged 12 to 39 who have yet to be invited will get a two-week priority window to book your vaccination.”
He then provided an update, sharing that Singapore’s vaccination exercise was progressing well, with more than 4.4 million doses administered as of Wednesda
He also added that 9 percent of all Covid-19 cases who are unvaccinated, developed serious disease.
Those from the eligible age group can register online at vaccine.gov.sg.
On June 10, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that 4 different brands of COVID-19 antigen rapid test (ART) kits for self-testing will be sold by pharmacists starting from June 16.
Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has given interim authorisation to sell these kits to the general public.
The kits include Abbott PanBio COVID-19 Antigen Self-test, QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test, SD Biosensor SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Self-Test Nasal, and SD Biosensor Standard Q COVID-19 Ag Home Test.
The Health Ministry said that results from these test kits will be out in less than 20 minutes.
“They are simple to use, they can be self administered. From next week, Jun 16, these kits will be dispensed by pharmacists at selected retail pharmacies. We will then open up for counter sales at more retail locations progressively,” said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.
Robinsons, a retailer with 163 years of history that closed its doors in January, is making a comeback as an online department store.
On June 10, Robinsons announced that it was acquired by wholesale supplier Canningvale Australia this month.
Robinsons’ online website will make its debut on June 24 and will feature more than 200 brands and collections on its platform.
“I’m excited to be relaunching such an iconic brand. The brand has a rich history, and it strongly resonates with Singaporean and South-east Asian customers. It just needs to be catapulted into the 21st century.” said Mr Jordan Prainito, the former managing director of Canningvale Australia.
From 14 June onwards, the maximum allowed group size for social gatherings will be increased to 5 people.
Also, 2 visitors per household will be allowed.
Singapore is moving into Phase 3 in 2 steps, with the second step being dining-in at F&B establishments, which can only resume on 21 June if the Covid-19 situation remains under control in the weeks to come.
The Ministry of Health said in a media release:
“F&B establishments are reminded to strictly observe at least 1-metre safe distancing between groups of diners (of no more than five persons) so as to mitigate the risk of transmission between unmasked persons.”
“We will be significantly stepping up enforcement and will take firmer enforcement action for any breaches. Patrons are reminded to keep their masks on at all times, except when eating or drinking.”
Co-chair of the Multi-Ministry Taskforce, Gan Kim Yong, elaborated on why dining-in will only be allowed later, saying that it is considered a high-risk activity because masks are off.
He said that the government wanted to make sure that the situation is stable before allowing dining-in to resume.
Also, wedding receptions will be allowed to resume as well, from 21 June onwards.
Likewise, gyms and fitness studios may also resume indoor sports activities (with masks off) from 21 June onwards, with a safe-distance of 2m between individuals; and 3m between groups.
Limits on event sizes will be likewise increased, with live performances and spectator sports events allowed to resume – pre-event testing will be required for participants with up to 250 attendees; but it won’t be required for events with less than 50 people.
MOH said that pre-event testing is essential to ensure that events can proceed safely for attendees.
Images source: Michelin Guide and Heartlander Tourist (Images used for illustration purposes only)
A video was shared online showing a Foodpanda robot going about its delivery rounds, much to the bewilderment of netizen, who feared for the future of delivery riders.
However, as it turns out, the robot is part of a trial that was rolled out across separate locations in Singapore.
Foodpanda announced earlier today that they have partnered with 3 autonomous robot startups, with the goal of advancing the progress of driverless deliveries locally.
The 3 startups include Whizz Mobility, OTSAW and Neolix.
The trials commenced in the middle of last month (May), with customers within the different trial areas getting (a chance of) their orders delivered by the pink robot.
The aim is to provide support to riders by completing last-mile deliveries, especially so in difficult locations, hoping to ease strains on the riders during adverse weather conditions or peak hours.
Sanja Djurdjevic, a Serbian volleyball player, was banned for two games and fined 20,000 Swiss francs, after she made a racist “slant eyed” gesture to her Thai opponents during a volleyball match.
The incident happened during a FIVB Volleyball Nations League match held in Italy on 1 June.
She did the gesture to mock the Thai players during the match that was televised.
She then came under fire from fans of the sport, calling her out for her racist gesture.
Images sources: Screenshot from BMTV YouTube, and Volleyball Federation of Serbia
