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: Singapore's testing rate is tops in ASEAN, with over 1m swabs done
As at July 13, Singapore has tested over one million swabs from around 520,000 people for Covid-19. Based on data on the Ministry of Health's (MOH) website, about 143,000 swabs were tested between July 6 and 13. Testing is one of Singapore's key strategies to contain the spread of the coronavirus here, as it allows for the early detection and ring-fencing of cases before they infect others. Last month, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said that the Republic was ramping up its testing capacity and aiming to be able to conduct 40,000 tests a day in the later part of the year. In order to reach this target, four regional screening centres were opened at the Old Police Academy, The Float @ Marina Bay, Bukit Gombak Sports Hall and Bishan Sports Hall that month. Plans were also announced for a fifth centre to be opened at 7 Bedok North Street 2, the former Sepak Takraw Sports Hall. While the Republic is not adopting the strategy of mass-testing its entire population at one go, the authorities have repeatedly said that proactive screening of target groups, including the elderly and healthcare workers, will be carried out. – The Straits Times
No hiccups on first day back to school, says NUTP
The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) said the return to classroom teaching in schools yesterday went off without any hiccup, thanks to adherence to guidelines by schools and students. NUTP secretary-general Harry Tan said checks showed that despite the inconveniences in following the standard operating procedures (SOP), parents and teachers fully cooperated. "Teachers and students were eager to see each other face to face after almost four months being absent from school. Parents and students also did not mind the slight inconvenience due to the SOP as safety is the priority. "Teachers can handle the SOP in schools. We must trust the professionalism of teachers," he said. While the SOP and adherence to them were not a cause of worry, Tan expressed concern over the additional work that teachers would have to take on, on top of daily school work. "One of our worries is the return of unnecessary paperwork for teachers, particularly reports on the SOP compliance in schools. – New Straits Times
Local Covid-19 infection report refuted
The chief of the Disease Control Department on Thursday morning refuted a report that a Thai woman in Bangkok might have been infected locally with the coronavirus disease. Director-general Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai said that on Tuesday evening a hospital in Rat Burana district reported a 31-year-old woman as a new Covid-19 case. She had diabetes and had been admitted at the hospital on June 30 with swollen limbs. On Monday the woman developed pneumonia and her doctor suspected Covid-19. Her nasal swab was sent to King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. It tested positive for the disease. But her phlegm tested negative. The Disease Control Department collected samples of her phlegm on Tuesday and Wednesday for re-testing. The Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute (BIDI) and the Medical Sciences Department did not find Covid-19 in the samples. Dr Suwannachai quoted the woman's husband as saying that she had no record of possible Covid-19 infection. – Bangkok Post
I'm not lovin' it: Man arrested for bomb threat at McDonald's in South Sulawesi
Police arrested a 35-year-old man identified only as MH after he threatened to blow up a McDonald's restaurant on Jl. AP Pettarani in Panakkukang district, Makassar, South Sulawesi. South Sulawesi Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Ibrahim Tompo said the suspect went into the store on Monday evening. He then told a member of staff at the restaurant that he would bomb the place. "He shouted in the store, saying that Italy was behind the COVID-19 pandemic and McDonald's was an Italian brand, so he intended to bomb it," Ibrahim said on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com. After causing panic among customers and staff, he left the restaurant and rode away on a motorcycle. The police managed to arrest MH after reviewing CCTV footage of the restaurant. Investigators identified him immediately, as the suspect did not wear anything to cover his face during the incident. – The Jakarta Post
313 PH Coast Guard personnel contract coronavirus
313 personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard have been infected with the novel coronavirus. Out of the 313 affected personnel, 83 of them already tested negative for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) based on their latest swab test results, PCG commandant Vice Adm. George Ursabia Jr. said in a statement Thursday. “We are blessed enough that the majority of our infected frontline workers are asymptomatic,” he said. PCG personnel are working in the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are deployed to assist returning overseas Filipino workers, locally stranded individuals, as well as fishermen and other ship or cargo crew. Ursabia has directed the PCG Task Force Bayanihan to ensure that the infected personnel are immediately pulled-out from their assignments and provided with medical assistance. To ensure the health and safety of its personnel, the PCG regularly conducts RT-PCR tests among those in the frontline. They are also supplied with vitamins, PPE sets, and medical supplies for everyday use. – INQUIRER.net
Millions of households escape from poverty thanks to social policy loans
Almost VNĐ337 trillion (US$14.6 billion) has been loaned to more than 12 million households nationwide under the social policy credit programme over the past five years, helping improve local lives and reduce poverty, according to the Việt Nam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP). The statistics were revealed on Wednesday at a teleconference which reviewed the five-year implementation of the Secretariat’s Directive No 40 on promoting the Party’s leadership in social policy loans. Thanks to the loan policy implemented since late 2014, more than 2.1 million households have escaped poverty. The percentage of poor households in multidimensional poverty fell from 9.88 per cent in 2015 to under 3 per cent this year. “Việt Nam has accomplished UN Millennium Development Goals and has become a role model of poverty reduction and hunger alleviation for other developing countries,” said Nguyễn Văn Bình, head of the Party Central Committee's Economic Commission. Among socio-economic development policies of Việt Nam, social policy loans are seen as innovative and humane solutions relevant to Việt Nam’s practical situation, he said. – Viet Nam News
Dengue cases in sharp decline
The ministry said the dengue fever situation is normal but people must still take precautions to avoid contracting the mosquito-borne disease. The report said there have been 3,339 recorded cases of dengue fever in the Kingdom this year, with four deaths reported. In the first six months of last year, there were 28,285 cases of dengue fever reported, with 32 deaths. The ministry said the cases were scattered throughout the country, with Preah Sihanouk, Pailin, Siem Reap, Kandal, Kampong Thom, Takeo, Mondulkiri, Ratanakkiri and Preah Vihear provinces being the worst hit along with Phnom Penh. “The conclusion at this time is that the dengue fever situation in Cambodia is normal thanks to the management of the dengue control programme implemented across the country,” the report said. Last year, Cambodia suffered one of the worst dengue fever outbreaks in recent memory. There were 68,597 cases reported and 48 deaths, representing a three-fold increase from 2018. The report said a severe outbreak typically occurs every six to seven years. This year, the health ministry has prepared more than 250 tonnes of Abate larvicide, more than 6,000 litres of mosquito repellent and nearly 100,000 vials of serum. – The Phnom Penh Post