Coronavirus: South Korea eases rules on K-pop concerts; Thailand struggles with ‘overwhelming’ vaccine demand
- Up to 4,000 people in South Korea will be allowed to attend K-pop concerts and other cultural shows from Monday
- Elsewhere, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City will extend social distancing measures for 15 days, while Thailand’s moves to prioritise workers triggers chaos and mass cancellation of vaccination appointments
Singapore authorities have detected 19 new locally-transmitted coronavirus cases, the highest since June 3, due to an increase in testing amid a phased loosening of restrictions this week.
Two cases were untraceable while 17 cases were linked to earlier infections, government data showed on Monday. Of the new infections detected, one was discovered in a migrant worker dormitory. Six imported cases were already under quarantine.
Over the weekend, a spike in cases prompted the Ministry of Health to close a shopping centre and food centre temporarily after several infections were detected in those locations. Aside from cleaning operations, staff and tenants will be undergoing coronavirus testing.
The increase in cases comes after Singapore’s government decided to ease some of the restrictions imposed in mid-May following an outbreak.
Starting from Monday, group sizes have been raised to five from two persons. If cases remain under control, the authorities will allow dining-in at restaurants and fitness classes from June 21.
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Meet Grace, the health care robot created for the coronavirus crisis
Japan considers quasi state of emergency during Olympics
The Japanese government is considering placing Tokyo under a quasi state of emergency during the Olympics, given that a number of health experts have expressed concern over a potential spike in Covid-19 cases, a government official said Monday.