KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 — Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today that a gazetted order allowing ministers to forgo the compulsory 10-day Covid-19 quarantine upon returning from official trips abroad could result in them importing new variants of the coronavirus into Malaysia. The Pekan MP noted on Facebook that the average incubation time before infection with Covid-19 …

SINGAPORE: Among the 24 new COVID-19 infections reported in Singapore as of noon on Sunday (Feb 7), the Ministry of Health said a Singaporean man working at Changi Airport issuing electronic monitoring devices to incoming travelers on stay-home notice, the Ministry of Health said (MOH). The 43-year-old man, currently not related to other cases, was the only community case identified …

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) is asking the government to put tourism and hospitality staff second in line for the national immunization plan with the industry struggling after domestic and foreign tourism came to a standstill. The first to be immunized would be frontliners and high-risk groups, beginning later this month. Perbincangan ini turut disertai wakil persatuan …

SINGAPORE — On Thursday, Singapore Airlines announced a net loss for the October-December quarter of 142 million Singapore dollars ($106 million), marking the company’s fourth consecutive quarterly loss as the coronavirus pandemic struck the global air travel industry. The result is comparable to a net profit of SG$315 million in the same period a year earlier. But the loss for …

KUALA LUMPUR – To ensure compliance with its coronavirus lockout, Malaysia is taking a tougher approach, even as it introduces stringent Chinese New Year measures that will limit reunion dinners to only family members staying in the same home. At his regular Covid-19 briefing on Thursday, Senior Security Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob revealed the most stringent protocols for the festive …

SINGAPORE: The World Economic Forum (WEF) Special Annual Meeting that was due to take place in Singapore in May has been rescheduled to August. The Geneva-based WEF, which postponed the event by 12 days in May last month, said on Wednesday 3 February that it will now be held from 17 to 20 August. “Although the World Economic Forum and …

PUTRAJAYA – From Thursday (Feb 4) to Feb 17, Malaysian authorities placed four areas in the state of Terengganu and Perak under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (MCO) after reporting an increase in Covid-19 incidents. Under the enhanced MCO, residents of Felda Tersat and the construction site of the TNB quarters in Kuala Berang, Terengganu and Felda Lasah and Kampung …

KUALA LUMPUR – On Tuesday (Feb 2), the National Security Council will hold a special meeting to discuss a potential extension of the Movement Control Order (MCO). “The meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and we will hear the report from the Health Ministry before any decision is made,” Senior Security Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told reporters …

KUALA LUMPUR— Malaysia’s trade, backed by a recovery in global demand, especially for agricultural and manufactured goods, is expected to recover in 2021 as Covid-19 threats recede following a massive global vaccination program. Public Investment Bank Bhd (PIVB) said in its Economic Update today that, in the midst of a pandemic that increased demand for devices such as computers and …

Mayor Isko Moreno declared that Manila plans to vaccinate at least 18,000 people against COVID-19 every day until the city government carries out the inoculation scheme. Surprisingly, this will amount to 540,000 inoculated people every month. He shared that there are 18 vaccination centers in operation, mainly public schools, to roll out the vaccines. Meanwhile, To expand the number of …