BEIJING: A kindergarten teacher in China has been sentenced to death for poisoning dozens of children in an act of revenge against a colleague that left one toddler dead.
A court in the central Chinese province of Henan said Wang Yun put sodium nitrite into porridge being prepared for her colleague's students, sickening 25.
The attack took place in March 2019 and left one boy severely ill for months before he died in January this year, according to news reports.
The Jiaozuo City Intermediate People's Court on Monday (Sep 28) said Wang knew sodium nitrite was harmful but went ahead "with no regard for the consequences", leaving many innocent children in hospital.
News reports last year said the children began vomiting and fainting after eating their breakfast.
Kindergarten students in China are aged between three and six.
The death sentence was handed to Wang this week for the offence of using dangerous substances.
Sodium nitrite is used for curing meats but can be toxic when ingested in high amounts.
Wang concealed her reasons for the poisoning after carrying out the crime and her "motives were despicable", the court said.
Her "criminal methods and circumstances were exceedingly bad, with especially severe circumstances, and she should be severely punished in accordance with the law," the sentencing statement said.
The court added that Wang and the manager of the kindergarten must compensate the children's families.
It was not the first time Wang used sodium nitrite to poison someone, authorities said. In 2017 she put it in her husband's mug, causing him minor injuries.
In March last year, 36 primary school students in southwest China's Sichuan province were hospitalised after eating "mouldy food".
WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - The world officially recorded 1 million deaths from Covid-19 in one of the most sobering milestones of the pandemic, but the real tally might be almost double that.
Actual fatalities from the worst outbreak in a century may be closer to 1.8 million - a toll that could grow to as high as 3 million by the end of the year, according to Dr Alan Lopez, a laureate professor and director of the University of Melbourne's global burden of disease group.
The coronavirus's rapid spread and ability to transmit in people who show no signs of the disease have enabled it to outrun measures to accurately quantify cases through widespread diagnostic testing.
"One million deaths has meaning by itself, but the question is whether it's true," Prof Lopez said in an interview before the tally was reached. "It's fair to say that the 1 million deaths, as shocking as it sounds, is probably an underestimate - a significant underestimate."
Even in countries with sophisticated health systems, mortality is difficult to accurately gauge. Tens of thousands of probable Covid-19 deaths in the US weren't captured by official statistics between March and May, a study in July found, frustrating efforts to track and mitigate the pandemic's progression.
The dearth of accurate data undermines the ability of governments to implement timely strategies and policies to protect public health and promote economic recovery.
If the mortality from Covid-19 reaches 3 million as Prof Lopez predicted, it would rank the disease among the world's worst killers. An undercount in deaths could also give some people a false sense of security, and may allow governments to downplay the virus and overlook the pandemic's burden.
NO SYSTEM
India has confirmed more than 6 million Covid-19 cases, but accounts for only about 95,000 of the 1 million reported deaths worldwide, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
The country, which has the highest number of infections after the US, lacks a reliable national vital statistics registration system to track deaths in real time.
Meanwhile, in Indiana in the US researchers found that although nursing home residents weren't routinely tested for the virus, they represented 55 per cent of the state's Covid-19 deaths.
"Yes, cases are reported daily everywhere, but as soon as you get to the next tier down, like how many were admitted to hospitals, there have just been huge gaps in the data," said Dr Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Medical data, including duration of illness and symptoms, help to ascribe a probable cause of death, he said.
Patients with heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other chronic conditions are at greater risk of dying from Covid-19. Some governments, including Russia, are attributing the cause of deaths in some of these patients to the pre-existing condition, raising questions about the veracity of official mortality data.
WHO GUIDELINES
In July, Russia recorded 5,922 fatalities due to Covid-19. At least 4,157 other deaths were linked to the coronavirus, but not included in the tally because of how the nation defines such deaths. Overall, it recorded 29,925 more deaths in July than in the same month of 2019.
The WHO laid out guidance for classifying coronavirus deaths in June, advising countries to count fatalities if patients had symptoms of the disease regardless of whether they were a confirmed case, and unless there was a clear alternative cause.
A Covid-19 fatality should be counted as such even if pre-existing conditions exacerbated the disease, said the organisation. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released similar guidelines.
Still, it may take health workers certifying deaths time to adopt the methodology, the University of Melbourne's Prof Lopez said. His research has received funding by Bloomberg Philanthropies, set up by Mr Michael Bloomberg, founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News' parent Bloomberg LP.
"Doctors often are learning as they go along, so they're not certifying all the deaths that are due to Covid as Covid deaths," Prof Lopez said.
JAPAN DROP
Although the pandemic has altered mortality patterns worldwide, not all of the changes are a direct result of the pandemic, he said. Physical distancing measures may have reduced road fatalities and deaths caused by influenza. In Japan, which has been scrutinised for its lack of widespread testing and relatively lax containment efforts, deaths fell by 3.5 per cent in May from a year earlier even as Covid-19 cases peaked.
"The pandemic actually works in contradictory ways to affect mortality," Prof Lopez said.
Likewise, the economic cost of the pandemic - which may top US$35.3 trillion (S$48.42 trillion) through 2025 - will be driven more by changes in people's spending patterns than number of deaths and government-mandated "lockdown" measures, according to Prof Warwick McKibbin, an economics expert at the Australian National University and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.
"We estimate this outbreak is going to cost tens of trillions to the world economy," Prof McKibbin said in an interview. "The change in economic outcomes is caused by individuals changing their behaviour, not because the government mandated a shutdown."
Worldwide, the growth in the number of daily deaths has eased since spiking in March and April, helped by improved medical care and ways to treat the disease. But as resurgences flare in Europe and North America ahead of winter and the flu season, Covid-19 fatalities may rise sharply again.
It took nine days for cases in the UK to double to 3,050 in mid September, compared with the previous doubling time of five weeks, the BMJ journal said last week.
Covid-19 patients between ages 75 to 84 are 220 times more likely to die from the disease than 18-to-29-year-olds, according to the CDC. Seniors over 85 years have a 630 times higher risk of dying. The older age of fatal Covid-19 cases has made some people think "they're old people, they're going to die anyway," said Dr Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
"I have a really hard time with that," Dr Osterholm said in an interview. "That's an unfortunate and very sad way to come to understand this pandemic. Many of those people who died are very important loved ones to so many of us that it's hard to just dismiss it as it's just a number."
HONG KONG: When Lau Kai Fai, his wife and teenage son moved into a new Hong Kong flat last month, he thought the 290 sq ft of space in his "module home" felt like "winning the lottery".
Among the first Hong Kong residents to move into such prefabricated dwellings, built as a transition for people awaiting public housing, Lau's family more than tripled the space they had squeezed into. Now they sit together for meals, rather than eating in turns.
While tiny by the standards of many cities in rich countries, the new home represents a big step up – even if temporary – for Lau, 70, in one of the most crowded urban areas in the world.
Lau Kai Fai, 70, sits inside his new home with his wife at Shek Kip Mei, in Hong Kong, Sep 14, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)
"It feels like a home," Lau said. "The previous flat was only a place to sleep."
Lau is the beneficiary of Hong Kong's latest initiative to ease a housing shortage, where more than 200,000 people living in subdivided flats are waiting an average of 5.5 years to get public housing.
Transitional homes are built on idle land leased by the government or private developers for only a few years, although the prefab modules can be moved and reused.
The 2018 plan only scratches the surface of the needs of one of the world's most unequal cities: More than 1 million of the 7.5 million people in Hong Kong live in poverty. As of June, 800 transitional homes had been built of 15,000 planned over the next three years.
But for the Lau family, the flat in a four-storey building in one of the oldest and poorest districts in central Kowloon is luxury.
HOMEWORK AT DESK, NOT BED
Their previous flat, one of many in Hong Kong dubbed "coffin homes", had cost around HK$5,000 (US$650) a month in rent. Now the family pays HK$3,000 – 25 per cent of the income of the retired Lau's wife, Tian Jiayu, the family breadwinner who works in a supermarket.
They finally have a place where their son does his homework at a desk rather than in bed.
A newly-built four-storey "module homes" building made from pre-fabricated parts is seen at Shek Kip Mei, in Hong Kong, Sep 14, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)
The door to the white, container-shaped dwelling opens onto a bunk bed. A wardrobe separates the bed from the living room, where a rotating chair doubles for computer work and dining. Twelve steps from the entrance, at the end of the flat, stands the mini-kitchen with a refrigerator, stoves and washer.
The move expanded the family's floor space from 80 sq ft to 290 sq ft. They now live in two-thirds the median area of a home in crowded Hong Kong, at 430 sq ft – itself half the size of the average London home.
In Tokyo, another packed Asian capital, the average home is 710 sq ft, although some 1.4 million people live in spaces of 210 sq ft or less, according to government figures.
Tian is happiest about the upgrade to mini-kitchen from gas stove.
Lau Kai Fai, 70, cleans his new home with his wife at Shek Kip Mei, in Hong Kong, Sep 14, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)
The land for Nan Cheong 2020, the city's first module home project, was leased by developer Henderson Land for HK$1 a month. The project was built by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.
It was built from container-like blocks for only 40 per cent of the cost of building a public rental home, said Anthony Wong, business director of the nonprofit.
Lack of land and money are challenges to building more transitional homes. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) say the government is not doing enough. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam is under pressure for housing solutions, including shoring up the transitional housing scheme.
"The problem is the government is acting like a middle man rather than taking the responsibility to develop it. They are relying on NGOs and developers to do that," said Sze Lai Shan, community organiser at the Society for Community Organisation.
A spokesman for the Transport and Housing Bureau told Reuters the government launched a HK$5 billion funding scheme in June to support transitional housing projects by NGOs, which can come in many different arrangements and different ideas.
A view inside a walk-up flat that has been subdivided into six cubicles in the New Territories of Hong Kong. (File photo: AFP/Anthony Wallace)
“We hope to ... allow different community groups to use their creativity as much as possible to provide diversified transitional housing projects,” he said by email, adding the government is facilitating short- and long-term "policies to increase housing supply, in order to address housing problem(s) faced by low-income families".
Lau's Nan Cheong 2020 lifeline is two years.
"We hope we'll get a public flat by then, if not there’s nothing we can do," he said. "We’ll have to find a subdivided flat again."
BANGKOK: Tourism operators and hotels in Thailand have welcomed the government’s new stimulus measure that will allow foreign tourists to visit the country with a special long-stay visa amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The special tourist visa or STV is expected to become available from October to Sep 30 next year. Its holders will be able to stay in Thailand for 90 days and to extend the visa twice at a cost of 2,000 Baht (US$63) each time.
The scheme was approved in principle by the Cabinet on Sep 15 as part of the government’s efforts to boost the sluggish economy and tourism sector battered by the global health crisis.
“Any and all visitors coming to Thailand will help to stimulate the hotel sector that goes beyond just brick and mortar in an industry that supports suppliers from fisherman and farmers to tour guides and small businesses,” said Daniel Simon, general manager of Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel.
“The Thai government’s planned special tourist visa programme is a step in the right direction, but we look forward to more measures which will quickly, but safely, open the kingdom to international travellers once again,” he added.
The Giant Swing is one of Bangkok's popular tourist sites. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Thailand's economy hard, especially its tourism sector. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
The new visa targets tourists with spending power who are willing to undergo 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Once the country reopens, the Thai government expects to welcome 1,200 foreign tourists per month from one to three international flights each week. It also hopes the scheme would inject 12 billion baht (US$380 million) into the economy in a year’s time.
“Obviously, there is no magic bullet to opening the country immediately. So, the STV scheme is one step forward with many more to come. It also allows the residents of Thailand to get accustomed to the idea that there is a way to start bringing tourists back to the country safely, albeit with a rather challenging application process,” said Nick Downing, general manager of The Siam Hotel.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Thailand hard, especially its tourism and hospitality sectors. Its GDP contracted by 12.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, with the total revenue from tourism dropping by 97.1 per cent, according to the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).
Last month, NESDC revised the expected contraction of the Thai economy in 2020 to between -7.8 per cent and -7.3 per cent due to various factors, including as a sharp decline in number and revenue from foreign tourists, and “the severe recession of global economy and merchandised trade”.
A file photo of tourists on Patong beach in Phuket, southern Thailand, before the COVID-19 outbreak. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
Although the STV scheme is broadly welcomed, small tourism operators doubt that revenue from foreign tourists could reach them.
“I think the benefits may not reach small entrepreneurs. As long as the government is unable to control the gap between us and capitalists, I think the scheme will hardly benefit small operators,” said Pornpak Rakjan, manager of tour company Phuket Tour Holiday.
The business did not receive any help from the government amid the ongoing health crisis, she added.
“I want the government to come here and take care of us. I want them to establish provincial units that specifically manage the COVID-19 impact on entrepreneurs, especially small ones.”
Foreign tourists wishing to apply for the special tourist visa are required to do so with a travel agent, which will work with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in obtaining approval from the Thai foreign ministry.
Applicants will have to indicate in the application form an Alternative State Quarantine hotel in Thailand for the compulsory 14-day quarantine upon arrival. According to the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration, there are 74 such hotels nationwide, including 69 in Bangkok and five others in Burirum, Chonburi and Phuket.
To complete the application, foreign tourists will also need to provide flight details, identify their post-quarantine accommodation, and purchase medical insurance for their stay in Thailand with a minimum coverage plan worth USD100,000.
Thailand's GDP contracted by 12.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, with the total revenue from tourism dropping by 97.1 per cent.(Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
If successful, they can collect a Certificate of Entry (COE) at the Thai embassy in their country. They are also required to obtain a fit-for-travel health certificate and a medical certificate stating they are not infected with COVID-19, issued no longer than 72 hours before departure.
Upon their arrival in Thailand, foreign tourists will have to undergo health screening. If they test positive, they will be transferred to a hospital. If not, they will be granted a special tourist visa and proceed to the quarantine facility of their choice.
Once the quarantine is over, STV holders can travel in Thailand. But they will need to install a COVID-19 contact tracing app.
Despite the 14-day quarantine requirement, hoteliers are hopeful the stimulus would benefit the accommodation sector, given the potential for long-stay visitors from Europe.
According to Bruno Huber, general manager of Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok, European tourists tend to spend a few months at a time in Thailand and are thus likely to be fine with the quarantine period.
However, the fact that they will need to arrange their own trip to Thailand, either by a chartered plane or a private aircraft, could dampen the interest and affect the revenue target.
“Private or purpose-chartered flights would be too prohibitively expensive and greatly reduce the number of potential guests. A functioning and attainable commercial flight solution is integral towards any success,” Huber told CNA.
If commercial flights return, he added, the revenue number projected by the government is “attainable”.
“WILL THERE BE A SECOND WAVE?”
The STV scheme may be broadly welcomed by the hospitality and tourism sectors, but there are concerns among operators over the potential health risks.
Thailand has reported more than 3,500 cases of COVID-19 since the outbreak started, with 59 deaths. Currently, 117 remain in hospitals. But once the country reopens for foreign tourists, the situation could change.
A closed restaurant due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, is seen next to the Chao Phraya river with a view of Wat Arun temple, one of the city's top tourist spots, in Bangkok, Thailand Mar 27, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo)
Before the pandemic, most of her customers were foreign tourists. So when the international travel ban kicked in, the cafe lost most of its clients and was forced to close for three months. Although it has recently reopened to local customers, the business still suffers from a major drop in revenue.
“We want tourists to visit,” Pichanan said. “But I want the government to issue them some sort of document they can show to us. This way, we won’t have to be worried.”
As of Sep 25, Thailand has carried out 977,854 COVID-19 tests nationwide, according to Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesperson of the COVID-19 Situation Administration Centre. He said in a press conference on Monday (Sep 28) the country needs to relax its disease control measures in order to allow the economy to recover before urging the public to remain vigilant.
"Although our country needs to relax, people must be disciplined," Taweesin said. "If each person is disciplined, the relaxation will continue to work and our economy will grow stronger."
BANGKOK: Tourism operators and hotels in Thailand have welcomed the government’s new stimulus measure that will allow foreign tourists to visit the country with a special long-stay visa amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The special tourist visa or STV is expected to become available from October to Sep 30 next year. Its holders will be able to stay in Thailand for 90 days and to extend the visa twice at a cost of 2,000 Baht (US$63) each time.
The scheme was approved in principle by the Cabinet on Sep 15 as part of the government’s efforts to boost the sluggish economy and tourism sector battered by the global health crisis.
“Any and all visitors coming to Thailand will help to stimulate the hotel sector that goes beyond just brick and mortar in an industry that supports suppliers from fisherman and farmers to tour guides and small businesses,” said Daniel Simon, general manager of Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel.
“The Thai government’s planned special tourist visa programme is a step in the right direction, but we look forward to more measures which will quickly, but safely, open the kingdom to international travellers once again,” he added.
The Giant Swing is one of Bangkok's popular tourist sites. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Thailand's economy hard, especially its tourism sector. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
The new visa targets tourists with spending power who are willing to undergo 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Once the country reopens, the Thai government expects to welcome 1,200 foreign tourists per month from one to three international flights each week. It also hopes the scheme would inject 12 billion baht (US$380 million) into the economy in a year’s time.
“Obviously, there is no magic bullet to opening the country immediately. So, the STV scheme is one step forward with many more to come. It also allows the residents of Thailand to get accustomed to the idea that there is a way to start bringing tourists back to the country safely, albeit with a rather challenging application process,” said Nick Downing, general manager of The Siam Hotel.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Thailand hard, especially its tourism and hospitality sectors. Its GDP contracted by 12.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, with the total revenue from tourism dropping by 97.1 per cent, according to the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).
Last month, NESDC revised the expected contraction of the Thai economy in 2020 to between -7.8 per cent and -7.3 per cent due to various factors, including as a sharp decline in number and revenue from foreign tourists, and “the severe recession of global economy and merchandised trade”.
A file photo of tourists on Patong beach in Phuket, southern Thailand, before the COVID-19 outbreak. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
Although the STV scheme is broadly welcomed, small tourism operators doubt that revenue from foreign tourists could reach them.
“I think the benefits may not reach small entrepreneurs. As long as the government is unable to control the gap between us and capitalists, I think the scheme will hardly benefit small operators,” said Pornpak Rakjan, manager of tour company Phuket Tour Holiday.
The business did not receive any help from the government amid the ongoing health crisis, she added.
“I want the government to come here and take care of us. I want them to establish provincial units that specifically manage the COVID-19 impact on entrepreneurs, especially small ones.”
Foreign tourists wishing to apply for the special tourist visa are required to do so with a travel agent, which will work with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in obtaining approval from the Thai foreign ministry.
Applicants will have to indicate in the application form an Alternative State Quarantine hotel in Thailand for the compulsory 14-day quarantine upon arrival. According to the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration, there are 74 such hotels nationwide, including 69 in Bangkok and five others in Burirum, Chonburi and Phuket.
To complete the application, foreign tourists will also need to provide flight details, identify their post-quarantine accommodation, and purchase medical insurance for their stay in Thailand with a minimum coverage plan worth USD100,000.
Thailand's GDP contracted by 12.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, with the total revenue from tourism dropping by 97.1 per cent.(Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
If successful, they can collect a Certificate of Entry (COE) at the Thai embassy in their country. They are also required to obtain a fit-for-travel health certificate and a medical certificate stating they are not infected with COVID-19, issued no longer than 72 hours before departure.
Upon their arrival in Thailand, foreign tourists will have to undergo health screening. If they test positive, they will be transferred to a hospital. If not, they will be granted a special tourist visa and proceed to the quarantine facility of their choice.
Once the quarantine is over, STV holders can travel in Thailand. But they will need to install a COVID-19 contact tracing app.
Despite the 14-day quarantine requirement, hoteliers are hopeful the stimulus would benefit the accommodation sector, given the potential for long-stay visitors from Europe.
According to Bruno Huber, general manager of Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok, European tourists tend to spend a few months at a time in Thailand and are thus likely to be fine with the quarantine period.
However, the fact that they will need to arrange their own trip to Thailand, either by a chartered plane or a private aircraft, could dampen the interest and affect the revenue target.
“Private or purpose-chartered flights would be too prohibitively expensive and greatly reduce the number of potential guests. A functioning and attainable commercial flight solution is integral towards any success,” Huber told CNA.
If commercial flights return, he added, the revenue number projected by the government is “attainable”.
“WILL THERE BE A SECOND WAVE?”
The STV scheme may be broadly welcomed by the hospitality and tourism sectors, but there are concerns among operators over the potential health risks.
Thailand has reported more than 3,500 cases of COVID-19 since the outbreak started, with 59 deaths. Currently, 117 remain in hospitals. But once the country reopens for foreign tourists, the situation could change.
A closed restaurant due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, is seen next to the Chao Phraya river with a view of Wat Arun temple, one of the city's top tourist spots, in Bangkok, Thailand Mar 27, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo)
Before the pandemic, most of her customers were foreign tourists. So when the international travel ban kicked in, the cafe lost most of its clients and was forced to close for three months. Although it has recently reopened to local customers, the business still suffers from a major drop in revenue.
“We want tourists to visit,” Pichanan said. “But I want the government to issue them some sort of document they can show to us. This way, we won’t have to be worried.”
As of Sep 25, Thailand has carried out 977,854 COVID-19 tests nationwide, according to Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesperson of the COVID-19 Situation Administration Centre. He said in a press conference on Monday (Sep 28) the country needs to relax its disease control measures in order to allow the economy to recover before urging the public to remain vigilant.
"Although our country needs to relax, people must be disciplined," Taweesin said. "If each person is disciplined, the relaxation will continue to work and our economy will grow stronger."
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Monday (Sep 28) said it will impose strict movement restrictions in four districts in Sabah after reporting more than 1,000 COVID-19 infections there in September.
Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that as part of efforts to contain the outbreak, non-essential businesses in Lahad Datu, Tawau, Kunak and Semporna districts will be required to shut down from Tuesday for 14 days.
Malaysia reported 115 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, with Sabah accounting for 98 of the infections.
Of the new cases, 112 are local transmissions while three are imported cases.
Malaysia's tally of infections has surpassed the 11,000 mark, with 11,034 cases. There are 1,011 active cases.
About 960,000 residents in Sabah will be affected by the Targeted Enhanced Movement Control Order (TEMCO), said Mr Ismail Sabri.
“Taking into account the number of cases, the government, on the advice of health minister, has decided to implement an administrative TEMCO in these areas,” he added.
During the TEMCO, all residents are prohibited from leaving the affected areas, and non-residents and visitors are not allowed to enter the four districts.
Mr Ismail Sabri said all business activities in the four districts will be halted except for essential goods and services, while medical bases will be opened in those areas.
All entry points to and from the affected areas will also be closed. To ensure full compliance, the Royal Malaysia Police, Malaysian Armed Forces, Malaysian Civil Defence Force, Malaysian Volunteer Corps Department, local authorities and authorised personnel will control the areas.
“For the implementation of this order, all residents are asked to remain calm and give full cooperation to the staff from the (health ministry) and comply with all directives issued by the authorities,” said Mr Ismail Sabri.
Sabah accounts for 25 per cent of the crude palm oil produced in the world's second-largest exporter.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's King, Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin, said on Monday (Sept 28) that he has undergone treatment for food poisoning at the National Heart Institute and has been advised to remain there for follow-up treatment.
Malaysia's national palace said in a statement that the King will return to Istana Negara soon after undergoing the various treatments.
"His Royal Highness is in a stable condition and there is no cause for concern," the statement said.
The King was admitted to hospital last Monday, a day before his scheduled audience with opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim to discuss Datuk Seri Anwar's claim that he had majority support to form a new government.
The statement from Istana Negara focused on the King's health, with Comptroller of the Royal Household Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin elaborating that Sultan Abdullah had food poisoning on the evening of Sept 21, but that a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan done the next day showed that he had suffered injuries while playing sports, prompting an intervention treatment.
"As it is well known, His Majesty is very active in various sports including polo, football, squash, hockey and golf. Intervention treatment done on His Majesty’s knees and ankles went successfully on Sept 24.
"The sultan is deeply touched by the people's concern for his welfare and expresses appreciation and thanks to all the people who have prayed for his well-being," he said.
The statement ended with the sultan expressing his concern over the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the country.
Malaysia on Monday recorded 115 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 11,034,. No new fatalities were reported, keeping the death toll at 134.
