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Agencies

Workers in Singapore who are not inoculated against Covid-19 may risk losing their jobs as new restrictions on office access take effect.
From Saturday, a prior concession that allowed unvaccinated employees who test negative to go to workplaces will be removed, according to a government advisory.
Employers can redeploy those with no jabs to suitable jobs that can be done from home, place them on no-pay leave, or as a last resort, fire them if they cannot perform their contracted work outside the office.
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Singapore’s inoculation rate is among the world’s highest and it has adopted a strict nationwide approach against the unvaccinated.
The city state bars them from restaurants and shopping malls in a push to prevent the risks of the virus spreading and overburdening its health care system. At the same time, it has stuck to a gradual reopening path, dropping its default work-from-home stance this month.


“If you think about it, if all the 48,000 were infected with Covid-19, it would indeed impact on our health care system,” said Rahayu Mahzam, the Ministry of Health’s parliamentary secretary, referring to the number of workers who had not taken any vaccine dose as of January 2 and who make up less than 2 per cent of the total workforce.
A fully vaccinated workforce would be able to operate more safely, Rahayu said in parliament on January 10. She also cited statistics showing how throughout the pandemic, two-thirds of beds in intensive care units are taken up by people who are not inoculated.
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Most other countries do not take such a uniform approach, and it’s the private sector which takes the lead on deciding office access. In the US for instance, the Supreme Court this week blocked President Joe Biden’s attempt to get 80 million workers to take their shots or undergo periodic tests. Meanwhile, firms including Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase have moved to require vaccination for US staff.
Singapore calms fears over Covid-19 mRNA jabs for young children
In Singapore, 87 per cent of the total population are fully vaccinated and half have got booster shots. More employees are coming forward to get inoculated, according to the Ministry of Manpower, which saw the number of workers who hadn’t received any doses drop almost 8 per cent early this month from 52,000 reported in December.
The vast majority of companies continue to engage with their affected staff on this matter, said the ministry.
The Singapore Business Federation and Singapore Manufacturing Federation advocate that employers speak to workers who have yet to get their jabs to understand their concerns.
As the bulk of vaccinated workers eventually go back to the office more frequently, the prolonged absence from the workplace of those without inoculation may affect both their performance as well as that of the organisation, the government advisory, issued with the trade union and the employers federation, states.
Australia nears Omicron peak
Australia has likely neared the peak of its Omicron wave, authorities said on Saturday, but warned daily infections will linger near record levels for “the next few weeks” after more than 100,000 cases were reported for a fourth straight day.
Having limited the spread of the coronavirus through tough restrictions earlier in the pandemic, Australia is now suffering record caseloads from the Omicron variant. Most parts of the country have shifted to a strategy of living with the virus as they reached higher vaccination rates.

More than 1.2 million infections have been recorded this year, compared with 200,000 for 2020 and 2021 combined.
“We are not through it yet and I think there are still going to be large number of cases diagnosed in Australia over the next few weeks,” Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly told a news briefing, referring to the Omicron outbreak.
But modelling from some states “leads me to believe that we are close to the peak of this wave in terms of cases,” he said.
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Infections have dipped over the last three days while the rise in hospitalisation in worst-hit New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, has slowed slightly, official data showed.
Authorities expect infections to peak later this month or early February.
Most states are battling record hospitalisation during the Omicron wave, with authorities saying unvaccinated younger people forming a “significant number” of admissions in Australia.
“We are seeing an epidemic of the unvaccinated in young people, we are seeing that in intensive care admissions,” Kelly said.
Australia is among the most heavily vaccinated countries against Covid-19, with more than 92 per cent of people above 16 double-dosed, and with a booster drive picking up pace.
Japan cases rise
Japan’s confirmed daily Covid-19 cases on Saturday topped 25,000 for the first time since August 26 last year.
A number of areas in the country have recently seen record numbers of coronavirus infections driven by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
Tokyo reported 4,561 coronavirus cases on Saturday, topping 4,000 for a second day. The seven-day average jumped to 2,427 from 502 a week ago, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government.


The recent surge prompted the Japanese capital to raise its Covid alert to the second-highest of four levels this week.
Japan has also put three other areas under a quasi-emergency, allowing local authorities to place restrictions on businesses like bars and restaurants.
Philippines: Manila area confirms local Omicron spread
The Philippine health ministry confirmed the local spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant around Manila on Saturday, as infections hit a record high for a third straight day.
“We are seeing community transmission of the Omicron variant in the capital region,” said health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
The region is an urban sprawl of 16 cities home to more than 13 million people.
The community transmission of the Omicron variant is characterised by a steep rise in cases, Vergeire said, adding that infections may peak from the end of this month to mid-February.
The ministry reported 39,004 new infections on Saturday, while active cases also hit a record, at 280,813.
With more than 3.16 million cases and nearly 53,000 deaths, the Philippines has the highest COVID-19 infections and casualties in Southeast Asia after Indonesia.
Reporting by Bloomberg, Reuters, Kyodo


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Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus: unvaccinated workers in Singapore risk losing their jobs

In Singapore, 87 per cent of the total population are fully vaccinated and 49 per cent have got booster shots. Photo: AFP

Anti-vaccination protesters in Melbourne. Photo: AP

Singapore is right: don’t browbeat parents into vaccinating their kids against Covid. Persuade them

A boy gets a lollipop from a medical worker after receiving a dose of Covid-19 vaccine in Tianjin, China. Photo: Xinhua

Children pass a Covid-19 vaccination clinic at Choi Hung Road Badminton Centre in Hong Kong. Photo: May Tse

How the world is getting tough on unvaccinated people: Singapore gives them the bill, New Zealand says ‘no jab, no job’ and the US says ‘please’

The Covid-19 Memorial Wall in London, Britain. Photo: EPA / Andy Rain

A demonstrator holds a giant puppet depicting a devil with a vaccine during a protest against the government's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Kassel, Germany March 20, 2021. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen

Dean of Medicine Gabriel Leung (L) and Head of Epidemiology and biostatistics Benjamin Cowling (R), speaking at the HKUMed update on the real-time population data on vaccine confidence presser, at LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam. 28JAN21 SCMP / Jonathan Wong

People cross a road, amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Singapore November 3, 2021. REUTERS/Caroline Chia

HANDOUT - 05 July 2021, United Kingdom, London: UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid speaks to update MPs on the governments coronavirus plans, at the House of Commons. Photo: Jessica Taylor/Uk Parliament via PA Media/dpa

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Asia

Southeast Asia

Coronavirus


From Saturday, a prior concession that allowed unjabbed employees who test negative to go to workplaces will be removed
Elsewhere, authorities say Australia has likely neared peak of Omicron wave and Japan’s daily Covid-19 cases top 25,000 for first time since August



From Saturday, a prior concession that allowed unjabbed employees who test negative to go to workplaces will be removed.


Coronavirus: unvaccinated workers in Singapore risk losing their jobs

From Saturday, a prior concession that allowed unjabbed employees who test negative to go to workplaces will be removed Elsewhere, authorities say Australia has likely neared peak of Omicron wave and Japan’s daily Covid-19 cases top 25,000 for first time since August

From Saturday, a prior concession that allowed unjabbed employees who test negative to go to workplaces will be removed

Elsewhere, authorities say Australia has likely neared peak of Omicron wave and Japan’s daily Covid-19 cases top 25,000 for first time since August