Singapore will unveil its annual budget on Tuesday, with economists expecting a deficit of as much as S$8 billion.

Health minister Gan Kim Yong confirmed the government has no plans to raise the Dorscon level as the island nation’s total number of cases hits 67.

‘Our economy will take a hit,’ warns Lee Hsien Loong as he says it’s too early to predict a recession, but one is possible.

Eight patients are in critical condition, 15 have recovered, as the number of infections in Singapore climbs to 50. Of three new cases, two work at Grace Assembly of God churches, one at DBS Bank.

The island nation is forecasting a fall in visitors of up to 30 per cent this year, as the Singapore Tourism Board’s chief executive prepares for a ‘longer, slower recovery than Sars’.

Panic buying of food and toilet paper forces a supermarket to cap purchases, including a S$50 limit on vegetables per customer, and has sparked questions about social cohesion at a time of increased stress.

Some have taken to social media to plead with hotels and airlines to cancel trips to Singapore and Japan, which have the highest number of coronavirus cases outside China.

While some experts predict a recovery once the virus’ spread is curbed, others caution that it is still too soon to assess how large an impact it could have.

Dorscon alert raised to orange after three new cases – including a high school teacher – suggest ‘community spread’ of the disease. Schools will suspend external events; hospitals will screen visitors.

Singapore authorities on Friday confirmed Britain’s third coronavirus patient got the disease when attending a meeting at the Grand Hyatt hotel.

From Singapore to Indonesia, dubious claims to prevent infection are spreading on social media and chat groups.

The opposition Singapore Democratic Party was found to have made false statements on employment statistics published by the manpower ministry.

The island nation is the first Southeast Asian country to bar entry to all new visitors arriving from mainland China, except Singaporeans and permanent residents.

Google search trends indicate people from the US to Singapore seem to be confusing the Mexican lager with the deadly virus.

Xenophobic chatter about Chinese eating habits is going viral on the internet. Such ignorance isn’t just unpalatable – in misdiagnosing the problem, it’s dangerous, too.

Chinese foreign travel has increased tenfold since 2003 and underwriting other Asian tourism industries which have been hit hard by the virus.

The restriction, effective noon on Wednesday, also applies to people of any nationality who have passed through Hubei province in the past 14 days.

The island nation says it is considering measures to support the tourism industry, including property tax rebates and a workers’ levy reduction, as it braces for more imported cases of the virus.

The three cases in the island nation are all travellers from Wuhan, with health authorities expecting to see more imported cases.

The 66-year-old man arrived in Singapore on January 20 with nine companions on a China Southern flight, and developed a fever and cough a day later.

The Lion City has an ambitious target for cutting greenhouse gases. But it also has a large fossil fuel industry and limited renewable options, so policymakers will have to get creative.

‘Hongkongers do not have the prerogative of Singaporeans. In Singapore, if you’re really alienated, if you’re really angry you can throw out the PAP.’

Not all such marriages in Asia have turned out to be happy, with one prompting scandalous claims of abduction.

A clash over employment data between Pritam Singh from the Workers’ Party and trade minister Chan Chun Sing has led to calls for greater transparency.

Hri Kumar Nair SC, who represented the government in court, said the correction order was valid as SDP’s statements on retrenchment were misleading to a lay person.

SDP secretary general Chee Soon Juan said it is ‘disappointing’ that the case is being heard in chambers and not open to the public or media.

Singapore is lagging behind peers such as Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia in reducing single-use plastics, largely due to public sentiment.

The company behind the Impossible Burger wants halal certification for Impossible Pork and Impossible Sausage. In a region where four in 10 are Muslim, even the name may be unpalatable

Cathay Pacific says it has not flown over Iran and Iraq for over a year, while AirAsia and Taiwan’s China Airlines do not fly over the two countries.

A deadly crash at Lucky Plaza has highlighted the lack of safe gathering spaces for Singapore’s foreign workers.