everything happened too fast
suspect you might be correct
further, that we have not seen most of the second and all of the third order effects of shutdown, itself a forst order effect of the virus
Singapore just had a bad day, a boost of 1000+ cases in one short day
HK reported zero
Received word that the Coconut & Jack's schools (primary and high school of the same outfit but at different locations) is on summer break starting 5th of June; 20+ days earlier than normal year.
No school, then no school bus (the bus companies fired all drivers), so no need for oil for awhile.
Forget summer travels and such.
The tutors in HK are cleaning up.
bloomberg.com
Singapore’s Daily Virus Infections Top 1,000 For First Time
Philip Heijmans20 April 2020, 09:23 GMT+2
The number of daily coronavirus cases in Singapore topped 1,000 for the first time since the pandemic began -- driven by a surge in infections among migrant workers -- even as rival financial hub Hong Kong reported no new cases.
The city-state recorded 1,426 new cases on Monday, bringing the total number of Covid-19 infections to more than 8,000, according to a statement by the health ministry. Of the new cases, “the vast majority” are work permit holders living in foreign worker dormitories spread across the island, while 16 cases are Singaporeans or permanent residents, the ministry said.
The rising number of cases in these facilities, where more than 200,000 people live, has posed a challenge to Singapore’s containment strategy after accolades from health experts for its methodical virus response in the early days of the pandemic. While stringent social distancing measures have largely stabilized the spread in the wider community, the government has been looking for new ways to house workers who may be sharing living spaces with 10 or more people.
Singapore has converted military camps and vacant public housing into interim housing facilities for healthy workers. It is also considering the use of cruise ships to accommodate workers who have recovered from the coronavirus and tested negative.
Read more: Hong Kong Edge Over Singapore Shows Early Social Distance Works
While coronavirus cases in the city-state have soared in recent weeks -- giving Singapore the most number of confirmed infections in Southeast Asia -- those in Hong Kong have slowed to a crawl after a week-straight of new daily cases in the single digits. The Asian financial hub reported zero new cases on Monday, the first time it has done so since March 5.
Diverging Fortunes
Singapore records nearly 1,500 new virus cases, while Hong Kong sees zero
Source: Bloomberg
As of Friday, the strain on Hong Kong’s isolation facilities had eased compared with two weeks prior as the number of people admitted to the hospital has declined, an official from the Department of Health said at a briefing. The usage rate of isolation beds has fallen to around 50%.
Hong Kong acted early in late January and early February with restrictive social distancing measures, such as closing schools and government offices, while the city’s residents have been wearing surgical masks since the outbreak began. While Singapore has been imposing similar strict social distancing measures, it did not require the use of masks outdoors until last week.
On Sunday, Singapore overtook Indonesia in coronavirus infections and now has the most cases in Southeast Asia after the city-state detected hundreds more victims among low-wage foreign workers. As of Monday, Indonesia had more than 6,700 confirmed infections.
— With assistance by Kevin Varley, Iain Marlow, and Matt Turner
(Adds Hong Kong comparison in the 5th paragraph.) |
