Due to the immediate spread of respiratory infections such as Covid-19, Southeast Asian governments have made the decision to reinstate these methods. People are asked to wear masks at the airport. There will also be a temperature scanner.
Read | Mint Explainer: Should India Be Concerned About China’s ‘Walking Pneumonia’?
Governments aim to curb the spread of germs, such as Covid variants, influenza, pneumonia and other respiratory pathogens, which can potentially overwhelm the healthcare system.
Also Read | What led to surge in respiratory illnesses in China: Lifting COVID norms, cold season, lack of immunity, or new virus?
Explaining the reason for the immediate spread, Singapore’s Ministry of Health said: “The accumulation of cases may simply be due to a number of factors, adding up to declining population immunity and increased travel and network interactions, holiday travel and the holiday season. “, on their website.
“Cases infected with JN. 1, a sublineage of BA. 2. 86, have lately accounted for more than 60% of COVID-19 cases in Singapore. While BA. 2. 86 and its sublineages have been classified as a variant of interest through the World Health Organization since November 21, 2023, there are lately no indications, globally or locally, that BA. 2. 86 or JN. 1 are more transmissible or cause more severe disease than circulating variants,” added the Ministry of Health.
Indonesia’s health ministry has also requested Indonesians to put a hiatus on their travel plans to areas that are reporting a surge in Covid-19 cases, “complete their two-dose vaccination, wear masks and wash their hands and stay home should they fall sick”.
In Malaysia, Covid cases nearly doubled in a week, reaching 6,796 in the week ending Dec. 2, compared to 3,626 last week. The Malaysian government said the spread was low and was not disrupting the fitness system, according to the SCMP report.
According to the Straits Times newspaper, the Indonesian government has reinstalled thermal scanners at some border checkpoints. These include the Batam Ferry Terminal and Jakarta’s main airport.
Read | UK Covid investigation: Boris Johnson admits he underestimated viral threat
However, it is causing some concern among the population, which is very sensitive to the threat of a reversal of drastic measures, as was the case with the pandemic in Asia and which lasted much longer than in other parts of the world.
Signs of this tension emerged earlier this week when Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Facebook that “false reports were circulating on social media that the government was trying to reset a circuit breaker. “
However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the continued emergence of JN.1 indicates that it is either more transmissible or better at evading immune systems than BA.2.86 or JN.1.
Download the Mint app and premium items
Log in to our to save your favorites. It will only be a matter of a moment.
You are just one step away from creating your watchlist!
Ups! It looks like the allowed limit for loading the symbol into your favorites has been exceeded. Remove a few to load this symbol into your favorites.
Your query has expired, please log in again.
You are now subscribed to our newsletters. If you are unable to locate any emails from us, please check your spam folder.
This is a subscriber-only feature. Subscribe now to receive updates on WhatsApp.