These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
Get up to speed with what’s happening in the fastest growing region in the world.
Coronavirus: Workers ferried in back of lorries must sit with 1m safe distance, say MOM, LTA
Safe distancing must be observed in lorries used to ferry workers involved in essential services, the authorities said on Friday (April 10). In a joint advisory, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) and Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that in line with the new "circuit breaker" measures, employers and lorry owners should review the maximum seating capacity for each lorry. This is to make sure workers can maintain a safe distance of 1m while they are seated at the back of the lorry. Labels or other methods should be used to mark out appropriate locations to sit, the authorities said, adding that these measures should be communicated to the workers and lorry drivers.
"If necessary, employers should make provisions for additional trips or lorries," they said. The statement comes after readers told The Straits Times of lorries overcrowded with foreign workers seen on the road. Photos of such instances showed seven or more workers sitting in cramped conditions with little to no space between them. – The Straits Times
Free haircuts, grooming for homeless at shelters
In addition to clean accommodation and six meals daily throughout the Movement Control Order (MCO) period, vagrants and the homeless will get free haircuts and grooming at temporary shelters. At two of the three temporary shelters in Ampang Hilir and Sentul Perdana, vagrants have been provided individual tents, mattresses, pillows and blankets. Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said those rescued and housed at these centres come from various backgrounds and had a story to tell. “I spent some time visiting them at the centres and found that we can do more by helping them locate their families, get them a job, financial aid and medical help while we have them under our care during the MCO period. “Some of them do not have identification cards and don’t have the means to replace them. It’s quite sad,” Annuar said, adding that he had instructed City Hall to take their particulars and assist them. – New Straits Times
Nurses in demand as infections soar
The kingdom will need up to 400 experienced nurses to take care of the growing number of Covid-19 patients, according to the Thailand Nursing Midwifery Council. The government on Thursday recorded 54 new cases, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 2,423, including 32 deaths. Council president Thassana Boonthong said nurses specialised in caring for patients in critical condition are in high demand as hospitals are allocating more beds for coronavirus patients. The council is seeking 400 nurses to be stationed at various hospitals, including the Chakri Naruboedindra Institute, Thammasat University Hospital, Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and the Bang Khunthian Hospital for the Elderly. Ms Thassana said the hospitals have set aside about 80 beds for Covid-19 patients and each of them needs intensive care. – Bangkok Post
Indonesia receives 58 foreign aid packages for COVID-19 relief: Foreign Minister
The Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Indonesia had received 58 international aid packages for COVID-19 relief. They came from foreign governments, international organizations, NGOs and the private sector. Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said that nine of the aid packages had come from foreign governments, 42 from NGOs and the private sector and seven from international organizations. “The governments of China, Japan, the United States, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates have sent aid,” Retno said at a virtual press briefing in Jakarta on Thursday. The seven international organizations that have given aid packages to Indonesia are the World Health Organization, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Global Fund, and UNICEF. – The Jakarta Post
End discrimination vs COVID-19 patients, PUIs, PUMs
A lawmaker on Friday called for an end to discrimination against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, persons under monitoring (PUM), persons under investigation (PUI), and front liners. AAMBIS-OWA Party-list Representative Sharon Garin said that the stigma on those who contracted the disease—including those who are suspected of having the disease—would only “destroy our society, not the virus.” Garin made the call after the Department of Health – Region 6 (DOH) tagged 36,000 residents of Guimbal town in Iloilo as PUMs following a local transmission in the town. Following the declaration, a pregnant staffer of Garin’s party-list, who resides in Guimbal, was denied admission by two hospitals fearing that she is a possible carrier of the virus. Garin said the said declaration has since been recanted by Director Marlyn Convocar of DOH who said that “since the municipality of Guimbal is on enhanced community quarantine, all persons are (already) on strict quarantine and (not all are PUMs).” – Philippine Daily Inquirer