US raises Covid-19 danger level in Hong Kong and Singapore - The Straits Times

WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - The United States on Monday (Sept 27) said trips to Singapore and Hong Kong have become more dangerous because of the coronavirus, raising its travel health advice for the Asian financial hubs by one level.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said anyone who has not been vaccinated should avoid non-essential trips to Singapore, citing a "high level" of Covid-19.

"All travellers may be at risk for getting and spreading Covid-19 variants," the CDC said, increasing its travel advice for Singapore by one notch to level 3.

Other countries currently at level 3 include Australia, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines. 

The CDC also raised its advice to Hong Kong one rung to level 2, citing a "moderate level" of coronavirus. The CDC said unvaccinated travellers with a higher risk of severe illness from Covid-19 should avoid non-essential travel to Hong Kong. The CDC's highest travel health notice is level 4.

While Singapore has reported almost daily coronavirus caseloads of more than 1,000 since mid-September, the advice is puzzling for Hong Kong.

The city has seen fewer than 10 cases a day since late August, and there has not been a locally transmitted infection in Hong Kong since mid-August, data show. The hub has also yet to experience an outbreak of the Delta variant.

The US, by contrast, is in the midst of another Covid-19 resurgence, as its vaccination roll-out stalls. The country added over 180,000 new cases on Friday, and saw more than 2,700 deaths from the virus.

Related Stories: 

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMia2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vd29ybGQvdW5pdGVkLXN0YXRlcy91cy1yYWlzZXMtY292aWQtMTktZGFuZ2VyLWxldmVsLWluLWhvbmcta29uZy1hbmQtc2luZ2Fwb3Jl0gEA?oc=5

2021-09-28 00:26:39Z
CAIiEJEdEvRGIMQE5Rj9h1u-zewqGQgEKhAIACoHCAow_7X3CjCh49YCMKWWpwU

COVID-19: Group of 6 goes on 12-day tour of Germany under Vaccinated Travel Lane scheme - CNA

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiK2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9bVE0SHo2N19IWE3SAQA?oc=5

2021-09-27 15:09:45Z
52781905892143

Singapore sends more than 120000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Thailand - CNA

Last month, Thailand said it was seeking to borrow 150,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Bhutan amid a supply shortage in the country. 

On Monday, Thailand reported 10,288 new COVID-19 infections and 101 more deaths. 

Thai authorities on Monday also announced that it was preparing to downscale its COVID-19 quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated international tourists and reopen the country in four phases, starting from October.

Other countries have received contributions from Singapore over the last few months.

On Sunday, MFA said Singapore has contributed an "assistance package" to Nepal to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The package consists of medical supplies, including diagnostic tests, masks, polyethylene aprons, thermometers, and a polymerase chain reaction machine.

Malaysia and Brunei are also among other countries to which Singapore has contributed COVID-19 vaccines. 

Singapore last month announced that it will send 500,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to Australia as part of a "dose sharing" agreement, with the same amount to be returned in December.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vc2luZ2Fwb3JlL3NpbmdhcG9yZS10aGFpbGFuZC1jb3ZpZC0xOS12YWNjaW5lLWFzdHJhemVuYWNhLTIyMDUyNzHSAQA?oc=5

2021-09-27 12:38:00Z
52781906228570

Thailand to reduce COVID-19 quarantine period, reopen to international visitors in 4 phases - CNA

Besides adjusting the quarantine requirements, Thailand has also laid out a plan to reopen to international tourism in four phases.

In each stage, different provinces will be added to the so-called Blue Zone, where travel is not restricted and various social activities as well as gatherings of no more than 500 people are allowed.

The initial pilot phase is from Oct 1 to Oct 31. It covers Phuket and parts of Krabi, Phang Nga and Surat Thani such as the popular islands of Phi Phi, Samui and Pha-ngan. 

While parts of these provinces have reopened to international travellers since July, others still need to speed up their vaccination programmes and ensure the COVID-19 situation remains under control for the full reopening next month.

The second phase is from Nov 1 to Nov 30. It covers ten provinces where income from international visitors usually makes up at least 15 per cent of their tourism revenue. They include Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chonburi, among others.

CCSA's announcement confirmed a change of plan for the Thai capital, where reopening to international tourism was initially scheduled for mid-October.

“We are confident that on Oct 15, Bangkok will be able to reopen to international tourists,” said Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan on Sep 15 after a discussion with Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang.

At least 70 per cent of Bangkok residents were expected to have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by that time. However, based on CCSA’s Monday announcement, its reopening has been postponed to November.

The third phase is from Dec 1 to Dec 31 and the last phase takes effect from January 2022 onwards.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS90aGFpbGFuZC1yZWR1Y2UtY292aWQtMTktcXVhcmFudGluZS1yZW9wZW4taW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbC10b3VyaXN0cy1iYW5na29rLTIyMDQ5MjHSAQA?oc=5

2021-09-27 10:16:00Z
52781905892143

With over 2.19 billion shots in arms, China has fully vaccinated 78 per cent of its population - South China Morning Post

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiK2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9VUdDUzQ4ME43SnfSAQA?oc=5

2021-09-27 06:39:46Z
CCAiC1VHQ1M0ODBON0p3mAEB

China says it will clamp down on abortions for 'non-medical purposes' - CNA

BEIJING: China will reduce the number of abortions performed for "non-medical purposes", the country's Cabinet said in new guidelines issued on Monday (Sep 27), that it said were aimed at improving women's reproductive health.

China has already enacted strict measures aimed at preventing sex-selective abortions, and health authorities also warned in 2018 that the use of abortion to end unwanted pregnancies was harmful to women's bodies and risks causing infertility.

The State Council said the new guidelines would aim to improve women's overall access to pre-pregnancy health care services.

Think-tanks and policy researchers have identified China's declining birth rate as a major social policy challenge in the coming decades.

Although China remains the world's most populous nation, the latest census showed population growth from 2011 to 2020 was the slowest since the 1950s, and was expected to slow even more within a few years.

After years of trying to limit population growth, Beijing is now promising new policies aimed at encouraging families to have more children.

It said in June that it would now allow all couples to have three children instead of two. New policies designed to reduce the financial burden of raising children are also being introduced.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9jaGluYS1yZWR1Y2UtYWJvcnRpb25zLW5vbi1tZWRpY2FsLWhlYWx0aC1wcmVnbmFuY3ktMjIwNDEyMdIBAA?oc=5

2021-09-27 03:21:00Z
52781905480116

German election: Surprises but no radical shift as Germans vote for predictability - The Straits Times

BERLIN - With a strong centre and a weakening of the political fringes, Germans decided not to abandon the path of stability in Sunday's (Sept 26) national elections.

However, in the first polls in 16 years where Chancellor Angela Merkel was not on the ballot, voters still had some surprises in store.

Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article.

Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month

• Latest headlines and exclusive stories
• In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content
• Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months*

*Terms and conditions apply.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vd29ybGQvZXVyb3BlL2dlcm1hbi1lbGVjdGlvbi1zdXJwcmlzZXMtYnV0LW5vLXJhZGljYWwtc2hpZnQtYXMtZ2VybWFucy12b3RlLWZvci1wcmVkaWN0YWJpbGl0edIBAA?oc=5

2021-09-26 23:27:31Z
52781886475259