5 S’pore News That You Should Know About That Were Reported Yesterday (16 February 2020)

Let’s face it: in this social media world, exciting and viral news like a cat feeding a baby bear would often appear in your Facebook news feed, while important news like the GDP growth of Singapore this year wouldn’t get the same reach.

It’s understandable since social media platforms would prioritise engaging and viral contents to keep users in their platform.

In order to ensure that you’d still know about important news instead just social news, below are the top five Singapore news that was reported yesterday which you should know, simplified for you in a bite-sized format:

3 New Cases In S’pore; 1 Of Them Is An SAF Regular

It was announced by the Ministry of Health that there are three more new confirmed cases in Singapore, thus bringing the total number of cases in Singapore to 75.

Two cases are linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God, while the other is linked to another previous case.

One of the cases linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God is actually a 43-year-old SAF regular who worked at Building 613 of Tengah Air Base. He was confirmed to have been infected on Saturday. He is currently warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

For more info, tap here.

Lawrence Wong: COVID-19 Is More Similar To H1N1 Than To Sars

According to Minister for National Development, Mr Lawrence Wong, COVID-19 is more similar to the H1N1 flu in 2009 than to Sars in 2003.

He noted that for Sars, people got very ill in a very short period of time, and there was a higher percentage of deaths out of those who were infected.

As for COVID-19, it is just as infectious but the symptoms are mild like that of H1N1.

However, while this is true, Mr Wong also pointed out that COVID-19 seems to be more deadly than H1N1 due to the higher fatality rate.

For more info, tap here.

Grace Assembly Of God Members Continue To Use Technology To Pray

The Grace Assembly of God’s Tanglin and Bukit Batok branches are now considered the largest cluster of COVID-19 infections in Singapore, with 16 confirmed cases linked to them.

As such, they have suspended all their services and activities for the next two weeks. While the suspension is going on, church members have decided to synchronise their prayers at 9am on Sunday via video calls hosted on Zoom in place of face-to-face meetings.

The church said that their “priority and focus is the well-being of [their] staff and congregants, and ensuring [their] environment is safe for their return”.

For more info, tap here.

4,500 Families Set Up Homes With Parents Or Children Under HDB Scheme

Over a period of four years, approximately 4,500 families and singles have been recorded to have set up homes in the same Housing Board block, or the same flat, as their parents or children.

They were among those who applied for the Proximity Housing Grant (PHG) which was launched in 2015 as an attempt for families to get closer for care and support.

First-timer families or singles who apply for this scheme and buy a resale flat within 4km of their parents or child’s home will be granted $20,000 and $10,000 respectively.

Families or singles will be granted $30,000 and $15,000 respectively if they live with their parents or children after buying a resale flat.

For more info, tap here.

Hawker Stalls To Have New Decals Once They Are Certified To Have Met Hygiene Standards

Hawker stall owners who have met certain hygiene standards will be given an “SG Clean” decal that can be placed anywhere on their stall.

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), this was a move intended to increase the cleanliness of these stalls, as well as to safeguard public health during this time where the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak is rampant.

Singapore Food Agency (SFA) will send their officers down to the individual hawker stalls to conduct checks during their routine inspections at the premises to ensure that they uphold the standards.

For more info, tap here.

Do come back tomorrow to the Goody Feed app so you’ll always stay informed!