Because they are trained to follow the rules.. If they dun follow, they will lose their job.I don't understand why anyone needs to be quarantined given that there is now ample evidence that the virus is hardly the killer disease that it was initially made out to be.
Singapore wants to be hub for Covid-19 vaccine transport, says Ong Ye Kung
Regional port, regional air hub, financial centre (and money laundering hub), medical hub, education hub, biomedical hub, fintech hub. Now SG can be pandemic hub.
Changi Airport seeks to be hub for distribution of Covid-19 vaccine to the region
The first batch of Covid-19 vaccines could soon arrive in Singapore. As some vaccines require specifically low temperatures and need to be distributed in a series of transportation and storage links called a cold chain.
![]()
Toh Ting Wei
PUBLISHED 9 Dec 2020
SINGAPORE - The Republic is ready to be a hub for the movement of Covid-19 vaccines to the region, with shipments from Europe expected to go through Singapore to South-east Asia and South-west Pacific when broader regulatory approval is secured.
Mr Ho Yuen Sang, director of aviation industry at the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), said Singapore can play a distribution role for areas where infrastructure to handle large volumes of vaccines may be limited.
"In such areas, they may prefer to take more frequent delivery of their vaccines in smaller volumes so as not to overwhelm their local cold-chain handling capacity," explained Mr Ho.
Pfizer's vaccine needs to be kept at minus 70 deg C, and Moderna's needs to stored at minus 20 deg C.
Mr Ho said Singapore's air connectivity as well as its ability to store shipments at low temperatures puts it in a good position to temporarily store the vaccines.
He was speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday (Dec 8) by the Changi Ready Taskforce to explain Singapore's readiness to handle Covid-19 vaccine air cargo.
The task force, co-led by the CAAS and Changi Airport Group (CAG), comprises 18 members, including Singapore Airlines (SIA), ground handlers, logistics partners and the authorities.
On Singapore's ability to maintain the cold chain, CAG managing director for air hub development Lim Ching Kiat said: "We have placed a lot of emphasis on strengthening Changi's competitive advantage in terms of pharma cargo shipment.
"So Changi Airport has, especially in recent years, become the key preferred hub for pharmaceutical shipments."
A dozen firms in the Changi air hub have received international certification for pharmaceutical handling, and ground handlers Sats and dnata have also invested in capabilities to maintain an unbroken cold chain.
The task force said that SIA also operates multiple weekly flights to key European pharmaceutical hubs, such as Amsterdam, Brussels and Frankfurt, and has a wide network in South-east Asia and South-west Pacific, which includes Australia and New Zealand.
The first batch of Pfizer's vaccine is being manufactured in the Belgian town of Puurs and will be transported from Brussels.
Major logistics players such as DHL, FedEx and UPS also have regional hubs in Singapore with strong network connectivity from Changi Airport, noted the task force.
Mr Lim said: "Changi Airport, together with the authorities, will be trying to engage some of the key shippers to sell the strengths of the Changi Air Hub as a whole, how we have experience in handling pharmaceuticals, and for this exercise we will do it in a safe manner."
The move to position Singapore as a hub to distribute vaccine cargo to the region comes amid a growth in cargo handling.
CAG said cargo flights at Changi Airport have tripled from last year to 950 flights weekly as at Dec 1 with about 80 cities connected through these cargo flights.
On the significance of Changi working to be a hub for the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, Mr Lim said it represents a humanitarian effort and helps bring cargo business to the airport.
He added: "The widespread vaccine distribution is a very key part to the recovery of passenger travel, so we also have a very vested interest to make sure that.... vaccine (distribution) is made as efficient and as quick as possible."
Hosting WEF 'a feather in the cap' for Singapore: Experts
![]()
Singapore's Marina Bay area before sunset:in September 2020.ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID
![]()
Justin Ong
PUBLISHED 9/12/2020
SINGAPORE - Hosting the World Economic Forum's (WEF) next annual gathering of global political and business leaders bodes well for Singapore's tourism and events sectors, said experts on Tuesday (Dec 8).
Public health experts also said that if handled properly, the WEF Special Annual Meeting 2021, slated for May 13 to 16, would be a testament to Singapore's ability to manage Covid-19 measures for such a signature event. The WEF meeting typically attracts about 3,000 delegates to its usual location in Davos, Switzerland.
The switch to Singapore next year because of its handling of the virus puts the city-state firmly on the map, said Maybank Kim Eng analyst Chua Hak Bin.
He added that having all the world's attention on the South-east Asian country presents an opportunity for Singapore to prove it has emerged from the pandemic unscathed, and is ready to resume business as usual as a connectivity hub for the rest of the world.
This is only the second time the WEF meeting will take place outside of Davos since it began in 1971. The 2002 edition was held in New York, as a show of solidarity with the US after the Sept 11 attacks.
Mr Benjamin Chiang, Asean government and public sector leader at EY, noted that the choice made by WEF was an "intangible vote of confidence" in Singapore as a meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice) destination capable of managing the pandemic.
CIMB Private Bank economist Song Seng Wun said that while the "exciting, headline-grabbing" news was worth celebrating, another measure of success would be if it can coax the tourism and Mice industries back on their feet by getting people confident enough to travel to Singapore without hesitation.
"It's the bread-and-butter, regular, routine events in Singapore - whether food festivals or anime conventions - that contribute to monthly tourism receipts," he noted.
"So while hosting WEF is a feather in the cap for Singapore, more importantly, it's the reassurance it gives others that all events can be held here - safely."
Industry stakeholders agreed that the decision was a major endorsement of Singapore's capabilities as a leading global Mice hub.
This, said Mr Aloysius Arlando, president of the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS), would hopefully lead to more job and business opportunities - and in turn, help Singapore's economic growth along.
On the geopolitical front, Dr Chong Ja Ian, associate professor at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) political science department, said: "There may be some agreements named after Singapore, but I do not expect larger, long-lasting effects... That said, the sitting administration in Singapore may wish to use the event to showcase Singapore as a location for similar events in future."
This year's gathering in Davos, in January, was attended by the likes of outgoing US President Donald Trump and teen climate activist Greta Thunberg. Previous attendees include other world and major corporate leaders such as Prince William, Mark Zuckerberg as well as celebrities from David Attenborough to U2's Bono.
"As to who will attend physically next year, that will depend on how the Covid-19 situation and vaccination programmes play out. To the extent that the pandemic is controlled, there is more likely to be physical appearances," said Dr Chong.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Trade and Industry reiterated that the health and safety of the local community and meeting attendees was "of utmost importance".
"Attendees will be required to adhere to the prevailing stringent public health requirements, and safe management and distancing measures in Singapore," the spokesman added.
Dr Jeremy Lim, from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at NUS, said there was no "magic number" of attendees that Singapore could safely host. It would depend on Singapore's testing and contact tracing abilities, along with strategies for managing and hosting the guests, he added.
"Everyone who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated. And we probably need to have a tiered testing regime based on countries - similar to what Singapore has been doing," he noted. "Hosting the WEF is a higher risk than not hosting the WEF. So it's really about managing the risk, and at essentially three points.
"One - making sure, to the best of our abilities, no one with Covid-19 comes into Singapore. Second - anyone who has Covid and somehow slips through is detected early enough to minimise transmission. And third - if there is transmission, we detect it early enough that we can lock down all the persons who have been in contact, so that we can contain any secondary, tertiary spread."
Said Professor Dale Fisher from the NUS' Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine: "We've got all these tools to prevent spread, and it'll be a combination of tests or interventions to make this particular conference safe. I'm quite sure that Singapore will not let this become a 'superspreader' event."
We could sell ourselves as the Mother of all Hubs, aka MOAH!
Changi Business Park became Chennai Business Park
Changi Airport will turn into Changi Covid-19 hub
Singapore to launch segregated lane for business travellers who will not need to be quarantined
![]()
Those using the lane will be transported from the airport to dedicated facilities where they will stay and work.PHOTO: ST FILE
![]()
Clement Yong
DEC 15, 2020
SINGAPORE - From the second half of January 2021, short-term business travellers from all countries arriving in Singapore will no longer need to be quarantined, under new segregated travel lane arrangements.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Tuesday (Dec 15) that those who opt to use the lane will be transported from the airport to dedicated facilities where they will stay and work.
There, they can have meetings through floor-to-ceiling air-tight glass panels with local businessmen, as well as with other foreign businessmen with safe distancing measures in place.
Regular testing will be conducted throughout the duration of their stay - for instance on alternate days - in addition to tests before departure from their home countries and upon arrival here.
They will also have to move within their pre-declared travel group of up to five people to reduce the risk of mass transmission.
The segregated travel lane is distinct from existing reciprocal green lane arrangements, which apply only to selected countries but allow those on essential business here to move about around Singapore more freely.
The segregated travel lane restricts movement, but lets in business, official and high economic value travellers from all countries, as long as their stay is 14 days or shorter.
The lane is expected to increase traffic at Changi Airport, where about 15 per cent of travellers pre-Covid-19 entered the country for business-related reasons.
It should also have knock-on effects on the hospitality sector, which could cater food and provide accommodation for the travellers once they are given approval.
Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, on a tour of Connect @ Changi, one of the facilities that will be used to house travellers in the segregated travel lane, said the new measures will make Singapore more relevant as a business hub amid the unpredictability of Covid-19.
"Global business travel has been severely affected by the need for quarantine measures... Different countries will continue to have different risk profiles and we should not let this hinder business meetings," he said.
"Dedicated facilities can allow Singaporeans to meet (business) travellers from elsewhere. They can also allow (business) travellers from elsewhere to meet each other."
An artist's impression of Connect@ Changi's courtyard. PHOTO: CONNECT@ CHANGI![]()
Based on patterns established last year, roughly nine in 10 of business travellers to Singapore stayed in the country for five days or fewer, hinting at the demand for such expedited, business-specific travel arrangements.
A huge chunk of these travellers are currently not covered by reciprocal green lane arrangements, and have to undergo quarantine before being able to meet their local partners face to face.
Temasek senior managing director Alan Thompson, who was among those helming the Connect @ Changi project, said local employees of multinational companies might not have had a chance to meet their regional heads in person for more than year.
Facilities like Connect @ Changi, which will take in its first guests in February next year, provide businessmen with that opportunity while minimising physical contact.
Connect @ Changi is a four-star facility currently being built at Singapore Expo and Max Atria, about a five-minute drive from Changi Airport.
When fully constructed in mid-2021, more than 1,300 guest rooms and about 340 meeting rooms will be available for booking, with each night costing travellers between $390 and $430 if they are staying for a duration shorter than three days.
Meeting rooms can fit between four and 22 people, and are meant for meetings rather than larger-scale conferences or events. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO![]()
Meeting rooms can fit between four and 22 people, and are meant for meetings rather than larger-scale conferences or events.
Mr Wong Heang Fine, group chief executive officer of Surbana Jurong, which built Connect @ Changi, said the facility can be quickly repurposed within weeks for other uses post-Covid-19, as it is constructed from pre-fabricated modules.
Connect @ Changi said the facility will create 800 jobs in Singapore in construction and the maintenance and provision of services within the facility.
Mr Chan said MTI will study the demand for the segregated travel lane to assess the number of dedicated facilities needed, and could broaden the use of the lane for medical or family-visiting uses.
Facility operators interested in serving as a segregated facility can submit their proposals through the Singapore Tourism Board by the end of the year.
Hosting WEF 'a feather in the cap' for Singapore: Experts
The olympic to be held in japan can be shift to singapore.lolIn SG's quest to be a sports hosting hub, SG is willing to let covid-19 carrying inbound travellers in and spread the virus at the sporting events.
In our new monthly series The Business of Sport, we examine how the pandemic has reshaped the sports industry and its future.
'Safety premium' gives S'pore edge to host big sports events, says STB chief Keith Tan
![]()
This advantage will likely not last beyond three or four years.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
![]()
Jonathan Wong
Assistant Sports Editor
31 JAN 2021
SINGAPORE - The relatively stable and secure conditions in Singapore during the Covid-19 pandemic has meant the country enjoys a certain "safety premium" that makes it attractive to organisers of big sporting events, said Singapore Tourism Board (STB) chief executive Keith Tan.
This advantage is not permanent though, he told The Straits Times, and will likely not last beyond three or four years, making it imperative that Singapore "runs as fast as we can" to seize opportunities when they arise.
The recently-concluded Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M2 World Championship is a good example, Tan adds.
It was originally scheduled to be held in Jakarta but was moved to Singapore due to the coronavirus outbreak. Despite three players from Brazilian team DreamMax testing positive, the week-long event at the Shangri-La Hotel went on smoothly while the final drew 3.08 million viewers, making it the fourth-most watched e-sports event in history.
Singapore will also host an ATP 250 tennis tournament from Feb 22-28 at the OCBC Arena on a single-year licence. Before this, the last top-level men's tournament on the professional circuit here was the 1999 Heineken Open.
Alison Lee, executive vice-president of the international region at ATP, had highlighted both Singapore's excellent track record at delivering international sporting events to a world-class standard as well as a primary focus on ensuring safety.
These are the kinds of testimonials that gives Tan confidence moving forward even as STB adapts its strategy for an acutely changed world.
According to the World Travel Organisation, the global sports tourism industry pre-pandemic was worth US$800 billion (S$1.06 trillion) - amounting to about 10 per cent of the global tourism pie.
Whereas previously STB sought to bring in mega events like the International Champions Cup football tournament, Formula One's Singapore Grand Prix and Singapore Rugby Sevens, Tan said the statutory board would no longer only pursue such "fan-focused events" but also look at "spectator and/ or participatory events" which can engage the consumers virtually.
Last year's Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon featured a hybrid race format incorporating a virtual race and augmented reality - allowing participants to create avatars and see themselves competing with fellow runners in real time on running routes that take in iconic landmarks like Orchard Road, Little India and Chinatown.
More than 12,000 runners eventually signed up for the race, with about 37 per cent based overseas.
Mindful that in light of the pandemic the health and wellness industry has taken on more prominence for many people and travellers, Tan said this segment would be a new major focus for STB and it will work with stakeholders "to create a lot more products and experiences that will meet those demands".
E-sports will continue to be a growth area STB looks at, as will women's sports events in rugby, football, athletics, golf and tennis.
Tan said: "Over the last few years, there has been growing recognition of the athletic progress of women athletes. They are every bit as compelling to watch... but their stories have been under told. I believe there's tremendous potential for women's sports which is still untapped."
One of his immediate priorities though, is to scale up existing pilots that have allowed people to return to live events. Since last October, mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation One Championship has held four shows here with up to 250 paying fans, in five zones of 50 participants, who all had to undergo an antigen rapid test for the coronavirus before being allowed into the venue.
Conceptually, there is nothing stopping organisers from increasing this two or four fold as long as they can meet all the safe distancing measures, said Tan.
"But even 1,000 fans (in 20 groups of 50), which is a huge step forward from the existing protocol, is a far cry from a full on MMA tournament in the Indoor Stadium, which can seat more than 10,000," he added. "So we have to build confidence if we want to get back to some semblance of pre-Covid BAU (business as usual)."
Besides the ATP tournament, other marquee events that have been pencilled in for this year are the April 29 to May 2 HSBC Women's World Championship at Sentosa Golf Club, the F1 night race on Oct 3 and the Oct 29-30 Singapore Rugby Sevens.
Tan said: "Nothing should be stopping us from pushing for a calendar of events... Our responsibility is to seize as much of the opportunities that still remain out there, to lay out very clearly our health protocols and parameters, and if they (organisers) can live with it, then we work very closely with them to implement, execute the event."
450,000 condoms (an average of 42 per athlete) were distributed at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The SPGs would welcome the Tokyo Olympic Games being moved to Singapore, literally with open legs.
View attachment 103038
If the idiots have the brains they woukd have done it already. Lets face it. Their shithokes are i fected so run to stupid sinkieland. Already uk strain has hit our shoresbusinessmen can use ZOOM to talk to their clients and workers from home and why must fly all the way to sg and still have to quarntine and end up still have to use ZOOM lol.
wasting money and wasting time and end up get covid from the fight