Coronavirus: Singapore to put together assistance package for China, confident Beijing can weather crisis
- The package has been announced days after the island nation imposed restrictions on travel from the Chinese mainland
- Experts expect the restrictions to have little impact on Sino-Singaporean ties given the two countries’ long history of relations
The coronavirus, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected more than 17,000 people around the world, killing more than 360.
Singapore’s health minister Gan Kim Yong on Monday told parliament that the coronavirus had become “not just a problem for China but for the world”.
“We have to work together and collaborate with each other. For this reason, Singapore will be putting together an assistance package to help communities in China affected by the novel coronavirus,” he said.
On Tuesday, the government said in a statement that it would support efforts by the Singapore Red Cross, local trade associations, businesses and community groups to raise funds for communities in China affected by the virus.
The government would provide seed funding of S$1,000,000 (US$702,000) and also medicine, medical supplies and diagnostic test kits for the 2019 novel coronavirus for use in laboratories.