COVID-19

Photo: An Indonesian man who arrived at Seletar Airport on March 7, was the first traveller detected to be infected with the coronavirus using the new Singapore-developed Covid-19 nasal swab test kit. Source: Mothership

Singapore's Fight Against the Coronavirus on Social Media

Viewpoint by Archana Atmakuri

The writer is a Research Analyst at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) at the National University of Singapore. This opinion piece first appeared on East Asia Forum on 6 March 2020.

SINGAPORE (IDN) — Over 60 countries are now fighting confirmed and suspected cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), with the highest number of cases outside China recorded in South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan as of today. Singapore has 117 confirmed cases but 80 patients have recovered as of 5 March.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; OPINION; 09 March 2020

Photo: The tourist sector in Perth, the Australian city closest to Asia with a travel time of between 3 to 4 hours, is also affected by the impact of coronavirus. Credit: Dietmar Rabich. CC BY-SA 4.0

Coronavirus Exposes Australia's Economic Dependence on China

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — Australia hasn't had a recession for 29 years. Economists are now warning that the coronavirus (COVID-19) is almost certainly driving the country towards it and thus exposing Australia's heavy dependence on China for its economic prosperity.

Until the mid-1970s Australians were paranoid about a 'yellow peril' (the Chinese takeover) and practiced a 'White Australia' policy that kept Asians away from migrating to the vast continent.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 07 March 2020

New UN Women Report Warns That Gender Equality Is Under Threat — Major Women Conference Falls Prey to Coronavirus

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) —While a new UN Women report warns that progress towards gender equality is faltering and hard-won advances are being reversed, the 64th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has fallen prey to concerns regarding coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it was established by ECOSOC resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946.

: Caroline Mwanga; UN INSIDER; 05 March 2020

COVID-19: Switching to Airplane Mode — Life Lessons From the Unchartered

Viewpoint by Nisar Keshvani

SINGAPORE (IDN) — Like many others around the world, life took an unexpected turn around Lunar New Year. With the world health situation suddenly becoming unpredictable, we've had to adapt to new scenarios, almost by the hour, based on new information. I feel privileged to be in my communications role — effecting interventions, and more often than not, shaping them.

We've had to make tough calls — re-engineer the norm, implement uncomfortable measures, address fixed perceptions and mindsets, adapt to the unknown – together walk into unchartered territory.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 04 March 2020

Photo: Students trapped in China because of Coronavirus. Source: Internet

African Students Trapped In China

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — The coronavirus is spreading fast beyond its China borders, with cases now rising in parts of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Some 90,000 people have been infected in over 65 countries and 3,000 worldwide have died of Covid-19.

As soon as the virus emerged, the World Health Organization named thirteen countries in Africa (Algeria, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia) at greatest risk of acquiring the virus, due to established direct links or frequent travel to and from China.

: THE WORLD; Africa; 03 March 2020

Graphic: Collage of COVID-19 affected countries from World Health Organisation (left) and NPT partner countries from Wikimedia Commons

Relentless Spread of Coronavirus Obliges Postponing the 2020 NPT Review to 2021

Viewpoint by Tariq Rauf *

VIENNA (IDN) — As Spring is in the offing, the days are drawing near when representatives of up to 191 countries will convene at a review conference at the United Nations in New York, from 27 April to 22 May, to celebrate 50 years of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) being in force. Coincidentally, this also will be the tenth in a series of quinquennial NPT review conferences. Nonetheless, as at present the COVID-19 virus continues to spread globally, the wise and prudent course would be to postpone the NPT review conference to next year and not risk the health of the participants or contribute to the further propagation of the disease and further strain already stressed health care systems not only in the developed world but especially in developing areas.

: Opinion Editor; UN INSIDER; 02 March 2020

Photo courtesy of UNITAR Hiroshima Office.

Uncertainty Haunts the Future of Non-Proliferation Treaty and Disarmament

Viewpoint by Tariq Rauf *

HIROSHIMA (IDN) —August 6 and August 9 will mark the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. No sentient human being who has met or seen the hibakusha (survivors), or visited the hypocentres in the two cities, or seen the photographic evidence of the destruction of these two Japanese cities, can avoid being shocked and horrified by the devastation that nuclear weapons inflicted.

: Opinion Editor; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 27 February 2020

Photo: The movement of people in Shenzhen in China, is being strictly controlled during the coronavirus outbreak. Credit: Man Yi

Coronavirus 'Not Yet a Pandemic' But Affects 28 Countries

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK | GENEVA (IDN) — A sudden increase in new cases of COVID-19 is of concern, but the spread of coronavirus is not yet a pandemic, maintains the head of the World Health Organization (WHO).

"Does this virus have pandemic potential? Absolutely, it has. Are we there yet? From our assessment, not yet," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in Geneva on February 24.