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Key highlights from recent news on Covid-19, MOM, Covid-19 Home Recovery Survival Guide, and Sustainability below.
Covid-19
1/3: Singapore’s Covid-19 measures to be extended till Nov 21, to be reviewed at 2-week mark
Singapore will extend its Covid-19 restrictions until Nov 21, as the country’s healthcare system is at risk of being overwhelmed.
The extended measures – which include capping group sizes for social gatherings and dining in at two – will be reviewed at the two-week mark and adjusted based on the community situation then.
The Health Ministry (MOH) will add more intensive care unit beds if necessary, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung at a press conference on Wednesday (Oct 20).
2/3: 10 Covid-19 ART kits to be delivered to every S’pore household from Oct 22
From Friday (Oct 22), around 1,000 postmen will be delivering 10 antigen rapid test (ART) kits to every Singapore household.
This will benefit some 1.54 million households, the Ministry of Health (MOH) told The Straits Times.
The kits will be mailed out via SingPost, making it more convenient for the public to test themselves regularly at home. This distribution exercise – which will last from Friday to Dec 7 – is the second of its kind.
3/3: Singapore-Australia travel arrangement could be established ‘within the next week’, says PM Scott Morrison
Australia is in the “final stages” of talks with Singapore to set up a new travel arrangement between the countries which could be established “within the next week or so”, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday (Oct 22) morning.
The talks are focused on allowing vaccinated students and business travellers to benefit from the arrangement first, before opening up to tourists, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The travel bubble will depend on the quarantine arrangements of each state, but New South Wales and Victoria have already ditched mandatory hotel quarantine for vaccinated international travellers from Nov 1, according to the report.
The Ministry of Manpower
1/2: Government exploring ‘further refinements’ to Employment Pass framework
The Government is looking at further refining Singapore’s Employment Pass framework, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Friday (Oct 22) in response to a report calling for better employment support for PMEs.
The report by the Professionals, Managers and Executives (PME) task force, issued on Thursday, had nine recommendations to improve the employment and employability of local PMEs.
Among them were proposals to introduce income support for unemployed PMEs, and to differentiate foreign worker access by occupation, with less access granted for occupations in which there is “strategic interest” to have a higher proportion of local PMEs.
2/2: Firms can tap HR resources to improve ability to tackle pandemic challenges, transform
Human resources (HR) practices have played a central role in helping firms tackle Covid-19 challenges and are also key to transformation, said Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng, urging firms to tap various resources to improve their HR capabilities.
Resources launched in Sept 2021 include a HR playbook for the food services sector, and a free online tool which firms can use to diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of their existing human capital processes.
In the latest Jobs Situation Report on Oct 20, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) encourages firms to tap the resources and programmes of the Institute for HR Professionals (IHRP). These include a national HR certification framework, IHRP’s Communities of Practices for best practices, and HR playbooks that address specific challenges.
Covid-19 Home Recovery Survival Guide
1/2: How to disinfect your room and other precautions
Home recovery is now the default care management model for people infected with Covid-19 who have mild or no symptoms.
While those on the Home Recovery Programme (HRP) must isolate themselves in a room and refrain from interacting with anyone, there is a higher risk of other people living in the same home becoming infected with the virus.
Hence, there is a need to take more thorough precautions. Experts share tips on how people can maintain hygiene and cleanliness during HRP.
2/2: What exercises to do
Being isolated in a room while recovering from Covid-19 may cause patients to become inactive. But fitness trainers say people should exercise to boost their energy.
Ms Krystle Theseira, a fitness trainer at Level Gym in Telok Ayer, says: “Doing low-intensity exercises can improve blood circulation, reduce back pain and maintain one’s mobility during extended periods of inactivity.”
Ms Theseira, and Ms Lynette Huang, a personal trainer team leader at True Fitness at ESR BizPark @ Chai Chee, share five exercises that Covid-19 patients in isolation can do.
Sustainability
1/1: A third of businesses here ‘strongly aligned’ with Singapore Green Plan 2030
Only a third of businesses here say they are “strongly aligned” to the Singapore Green Plan 2030, while less than half are currently operating sustainably, a study shows.
Hurdles to greening their operations include funding – especially in a pandemic-induced financial crunch – and changing the culture of the company, business leaders said.
These were among the findings of the Building A Greener Singapore study conducted by Schneider Electric in August, which surveyed over 500 businesses and consumers respectively.
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