| Singapore to Introduce New Cleanliness Rules Amid Coronavirus Outbreak Posted: 06 Mar 2020 03:00 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The deadly coronavirus, which has now spread to more than 70 countries worldwide, looks to be becoming a global pandemic, Singapore's National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said on Friday.With cases emerging throughout Europe and in the U.S. "it is starting to look like a global pandemic everywhere in the world and as I said it is not going to be possible to shut ourselves out," said Wong, who is co-chair of a multi-ministry task force established to deal with the virus."In fact, the bigger risk is importation of cases from countries where we have not had travel restrictions because the countries with travel restrictions may very well have contained the virus," he said.The World Health Organization has been criticized for stopping short of calling the rapidly-spreading coronavirus a pandemic, which it defines as the worldwide spread of a new disease. That designation could spur countries to roll out higher-level, emergency-grade response plans around the globe -- and bring more disruptions to daily life.Singapore's slower virus case growth is a marked contrast to the more rapid spread in some other developed Asian economies including South Korea and Japan. That's led to questions about whether Singapore's aggressive containment actions could be a model for other countries to copy, or if its unique circumstances as an advanced city-state with tight government controls mean its solutions aren't easily repeatable.By Friday, the number of cases globally approached 100,000 as the outbreak in the U.S. gathered pace, and China and South Korea continued to report new infections and deaths. Singapore has tallied 117 confirmed cases as of Thursday evening, while a total of 81 have fully recovered and been discharged from the hospital.Earlier this month in the U.S., National Institutes of Health infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci told NBC News the coronavirus outbreak had now reached "likely pandemic proportions," a reporter at the network said in a tweet.Nevertheless, Singapore has stopped short of calling the outbreak a pandemic. "Because it is often a largely emotional element associated with this term it may be better to be more precise in our choice of words rather than use the word pandemic," Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is also a co-chair of the task force said at the press conference on Friday morning. "Perhaps it would be more accurate talking about how it spread across countries."Cleaner SingaporeIn the latest effort to quell transmission in Singapore, the government on Friday said it will amend its environmental public health laws later this year to introduce mandatory cleaning standards. It will cover public cleanliness standards on the frequency of disinfection of high contact areas, pest management and back-of-house waste management."Although Singapore is generally considered a clean and green city, we want to further step up cleanliness and hygiene standards in all facets of our lives, and make these our new norms," Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said in a statement.While the penalties for an offense under the new standards are not yet known, Singapore is known for its strict laws. Those caught littering or spitting at a public place face a maximum fine of S$2,000 for first offense while repeat offenders could be penalized up to S$10,000.The first person in Singapore to be charged for cheating mask buyers amid the outbreak was handed three more charges on Friday after allegedly scamming victims out of about S$185,000 for more than 900 boxes of surgical face masks, Channel News Asia reported.Despite the measures, Singapore continues to see new cases arising. This week it received an imported case of an individual who arrived in the city-state on a Turkish Airlines flight. The Health Ministry said the passenger was symptomatic while on board the flight and authorities will identify, contact trace and quarantine cabin crew as well as passengers who were sitting within two rows of him.The virus could also impact the timing of the country's next general election, which is required to be held by April 2021. While it is expected the poll will be called before the deadline, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said Wednesday the outbreak "would certainly be one of the considerations when we decide to go" and that choosing an election date would hinge on how the virus was impacting the economy and how severe it could become.(Updates with charges laid over masks in 12th paragraph)\--With assistance from Melissa Cheok.To contact the reporters on this story: Faris Mokhtar in Singapore at fmokhtar1@bloomberg.net;Philip J. Heijmans in Singapore at pheijmans1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joyce Koh at jkoh38@bloomberg.net, Ruth PollardFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Dems Pounce After Trump Says He Intends to Cut Entitlements Posted: 05 Mar 2020 09:00 PM PST  President Donald Trump said he intends to cut entitlement programs during a town hall forum in Pennsylvania on Thursday night. When Fox News host Martha MacCallum suggested that if "you don't cut something in entitlements, you will never really deal with the debt," Trump jumped in right away. "Oh, we'll be cutting," he said to an audience in Scranton. "We're also going to have growth like you've never seen before."The move would represent a change of direction, as Trump has generally maintained that he does not intend to trim such programs. In a tweet last month, he wrote: "We will not be touching your Social Security and Medicare in Fiscal 2021 Budget."He has occasionally walked back similar comments on cutting entitlements. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, for example, the president was asked by a moderator how he would handle federal entitlement programs. He responded by saying "at some point they will be" on the chopping block. In a follow up question, when he was asked about Medicare, in particular, Trump said "we're going to look" at it. In the following months, the president never attempted to enact cuts. In the midst of the Democratic primary, Trump's remarks could receive particular attention for another reason: the location in which he delivered them. Pennsylvania, one of the most consequential battlegrounds of the general election, is a top target for Democrats looking to defeat Trump in the state scored a victory against Hillary Clinton in 2016. It's also the home state of former Vice President Joe Biden, a favorite punching bag of the president, who is surging as the 2020 frontrunner after a series of Super Tuesday wins. Within minutes, Biden had already pounced. "Here's the deal, folks: social security is on the ballot this year, and the choice couldn't be clearer: I'll protect and expand it. Donald Trump will cut it and take it away," the former vice president tweeted on top of a clipped video of the remarks that the Democratic National Committee was promoting.Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took a different approach, using the opportunity to ding Biden directly on a topic they have sparred over for months. "Here's the deal: Joe Biden has repeatedly advocated for cuts to Social Security. I've fought my whole career to protect and expand it," Sanders tweeted. Fox News Host Grills Kellyanne Conway: Is Trump Scared of Biden?Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| New York state coronavirus cases double to 22; Senate overwhelmingly passes $8.3 billion spending bill Posted: 05 Mar 2020 03:00 PM PST  The number of people who have the novel coronavirus in New York state doubled to 22 on Thursday, following an increase in testing, as Tennessee became the 14th state to report a case of the fast-spreading illness.
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