These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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SIA, Scoot crew return to the skies as tentative recovery from Covid-19 continues
Nine in 10 Singapore Airlines Group pilots and eight in 10 cabin crew are back in the skies, flying at least once a month. This is a far cry from the hours they were clocking before Covid-19 brought the aviation sector to its knees, but the fact that many are back in their uniforms offers some hope things are slowly but surely recovering. Analysts, however, stressed that the immediate future will remain gloomy. About 2,200 pilots - about 90 per cent of the total number - are now flying at least once a month. This comprises pilots from SIA and the group's budget arm Scoot. About 6,500 cabin crew, or eight in 10, are also doing at least one flight a month. The SIA Group disclosed the figures to The Straits Times, but did not say what the lowest point was, in terms of active flight crew, citing commercial sensitivities. In SIA Group's previous update on crew numbers last August, it said then it had more than 3,200 pilots and almost 11,000 cabin crew. Meanwhile, Jetstar Asia, Singapore's other local airline, said about 50 per cent of its pilots and cabin crew are back at work. The budget carrier had grounded its entire fleet of 18 Airbus 320s at its lowest point of the pandemic in March last year. A spokesman for the SIA Group said: "In general, the average number of flying hours for our pilots and cabin crew has been increasing in tandem with the calibrated growth in the SIA Group's passenger capacity." He added that the frequency of flights for the crew vary from month to month. The crew members' return to work comes as SIA and Scoot continue to make gradual steps towards recovery. For example, SIA has resumed its Tokyo-Los Angeles service and started a new Copenhagen-Rome service. Scoot will resume flights to Berlin via Athens from Aug 10, with three flights weekly. It said the move will let it tap summer holiday demand between Germany and Greece, given that intra-Europe border measures have eased. But despite these announcements, passenger numbers and flights are still significantly fewer than what they were before the Covid-19 pandemic. – The Straits Times
Special Dewan Rakyat sitting adheres to Standing Order, Constitution
The Special five-day Dewan Rakyat sitting which kicked off today is being held as per the Standing Order of the Lower House of Parliament as well as meeting the required provisions of the Federal Constitution. Dewan Rakyat Speaker, Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun said under Dewan Rakyat Standing Order 11 (3), the current special meeting is held when there is a postponement in a parliamentary meeting. "The current parliament has been in adjournment. We have not prorogued the third term. Technically, we are still in the third term which has been adjourned. The calendar of the fourth term which will begin on September 6 has already been distributed previously. "As often been our practice before starting the new term, the current term will be prorogued at least a week beforehand. So now, it has not been prorogued. We are now in the third term which has been postponed," he said in the Dewan Rakyat today. Azhar's response came after opposition Members of Parliament's rose to question the Special Dewan Rakyat sitting, which they deemed did not follow the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders on house meeting as well as the lack of space for debate and voting by lawmakers. Elaborating further, the Speaker said the Dewan Rakyat Standing Order 11 (3) also provides that the Prime Minister has the prerogative to convene this special session. "The Prime Minister will inform me as the Speaker of the House, that in the opinion of the Prime Minister and the public interest it is important and necessary to hold a sitting even if the date of the next meeting has not yet arrived. "The notification has been given to me by the Prime Minister and most importantly, Standing Order 11 (3) on meeting matters was set by the Prime Minister. This special session is the prerogative of the Prime Minister," he said. Azhar adds that a similar practice is also adopted by the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament whereas a special sitting of the August House is allowed with the agreement of the government. In the UK according to their Standing Order, a special sitting can be called by the government. Here it is the Prime Minister, in the UK it's the government ... that's the difference," he said. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law), Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, while intervening, explained that under Standing Order 11 (3) also provides in the context of Parliament, sittings can be held normally or through special sittings. "In 2009 a special sitting was held to discuss on the issue of Israeli aggression (into Palestine)," he said. Today's special session allowed 218 MPs, except for two who tested positive for Covid-19 to attend proceedings in the Dewan Rakyat in strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs), including having to undergo a Covid-19 screening test as well as wearing a face mask. – New Straits Times
Eateries in department stores to be allowed to sell online
Restaurants in department stores would be allowed to sell food online to customers under a proposal to be submitted to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) for approval, deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said on Monday. Ms Traisuree said the CCSA's operations centre at its meeting on July 22 resolved that the Ministry of Public Health should set criteria for restaurants in department stores to sell food online, taking into consideration the hardship caused by the restrictions imposed on them. The ministry had proposed the following measures: - All employees of the eateries be required to strictly observe the DMHT (distancing, mask, hand washing and temperature taking) rules and travel to work along sealed routes. Shop fronts not be allowed to open. Anyone found to have a respiratory problem or to have been in close contact with someone infected with Covid19 must stop work. - Department stores should provide a waiting area for people who arrive to collect orders. The area must be open, well ventilated, not crowded and DMHT rules must be implemented. - Employees who deliver food to clients in the waiting area must always wear a face mask, practice social distancing, carry hand-sanitising gel, check temperatures and log in to ThaiChana/MorChana apps. Anyone found to have a respiratory problem or have been in close contact with an infected person must stop work. The proposal would be submitted to the CCSA for approval, Ms Traisuree said. – Bangkok Post
Metro Manila, 5 other regions see rising COVID-19 cases
Metro Manila and five other regions in the country are seeing a reversal of COVID-19 case trend, recording positive growth rates of coronavirus cases in the last two weeks, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday. Aside from Metro Manila, the other regions are Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Central Visayas, and Northern Mindanao, according to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire. “Six regions have exhibited trend reversals. From a negative to a positive two-week growth rate, [they are] showing an increase in cases in these recent two weeks,” she told an online media briefing. Meanwhile, Ilocos Region and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) have been seeing positive growth rates of COVID-19 cases for six weeks now, said Vergeire. Vergeire said the DOH is also monitoring the situation in Northern Mindanao and Davao Region because of their increasing utilization for intensive care units. According to Vergeire, the country saw a one-percent increase in COVID-19 cases in the recent two weeks from July 11 to 24, as compared to the cases from June 27 to July 10. She opted to not call the increase in cases being observed in some regions as a surge, but confirmed that clustering of cases has been found in communities in the six regions. “I’d like to be clear na wag muna natin gamitin ang ‘surge.’ Ang surge, mayroong definition sa epidemiology which is not what is happening right now. Tumataas ang mga kaso. That, we can verify,” she explained. (I’d like to be clear that we should not use the term “surge” for now. Surge has a definition in epidemiology which is not what is happening right now. Cases are increasing. That, we can verify.) According to Vergeire, the COVID-19 reproduction number in the country is currently at 1.0059. Meanwhile, the reproduction number of COVID-19 cases is 1.009 in Metro Manila, 0.96 in CAR, 1.09 in Ilocos Region, 0.95 in Cagayan Valley, 1.12 in Central Luzon, 0.98 in Calabarzon, 1 in Central Visayas, 0.91 in Northern Mindanao, and 0.95 in Davao Region. Reproduction number is the average number of cases estimated to stem from a single case in a given time. Vergeire, however, said that the DOH does not use reproduction number too often in its reporting because it is a “lagging indicator.” She said the department instead uses the average daily attack rate and two-week growth rate in determining the increase of cases in an area. “If you will observe, we do not use reproduction rate that much. Kasi ang (It is because) reproduction rate is a lagging indicator. Ibig sabihin may time gap tayo (It means we have a time gap). Ang nakukuha na (The) onset of symptoms, that is two weeks before, so we are registering a transmission rate which is supposedly two weeks prior to this current date,” she explained. The country has 54,262 active cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday. – INQUIRER.net
COVID-19 case tally tops 100,000
The number of people to test positive for COVID-19 in Viet Nam has topped 100,000, and the number of related fatalities has risen to more than 500. The milestone was reached on Monday after the Ministry of Health announced 2,708 new cases. Also on Monday, a further 154 deaths were announced related to COVID-19, bringing the total number of fatalities to 524. Of the new cases, 1,714 were recorded in HCM City, where from 6pm tonight, strict social distancing regulations come into play, preventing people from going outdoors for 12 hours until 6am the following day. Four of Monday’s new cases were imported, the rest were community infections found in Binh Duong (407), Tien Giang (201), Dong Nai (125), Vinh Long (49), Da Nang (27), Phu Yen (26), An Giang (25), Binh Thuan (23), Binh Dinh (19), Dong Thap (19), Ben Tre (19), Dak Lak (16), Khanh Hoa (12), Can Tho (7), Hau Giang (7), Dak Nong (5), Lam Dong (2) and Hung Yen (1). Of the new fatalities, 129 deaths were in HCM City, nine in Dong Thap, seven in Long An, two in Can Tho, two in Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan, Bac Ninh, Tra Vinh, Kien Giang, Dong Nai reported one death each. Among more than 81,000 patients under treatment, 130 are in Intensive Care Units, while 17 are using machines to help them breath. A total 4,613,491 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered with 389,863 people receiving both shots. Of all the people to test positive for the virus, 19,342 of them have made a full recovery. – Viet Nam News
Cambodia’s COVID-19 imported cases cause for grave concern with Delta variant running wild in originating country
Cambodia has reported that in Saturday, it has detected a total of 423 imported cases of COVID-19, mostly entering the country through the borer province of O’Smach. O’Smach is the only International Border Checkpoint to allow returning Cambodian migrant workers to walk across the border gate since there is no possibility of border hoppers here due to the unforgiving terrain and minefields. On Saturday, 161 migrant workers who entered Cambodia through the O’Smach border gate were tested positive and of these, the number of Delta variant infected patients is unknown. Oddar Meanchey, as with many of the border provinces are reeling under the sheer number of daily returnees, officially and unofficially and almost all quarantine centres are packed to the brim that some are being sent all the way to Siem Reap. Critically ill patients from Oddar Meanchey are also being sent to Siem Reap for treatment and often arrive at the hospital doorstep dead, due to a combination of the advanced nature of the virus infection as well as other underlying conditions and advanced age. The Delta variant is not only far more transmissible than its predecessors, but it appears to be more lethal to people of all ages as well and this is the variant which is nor dominant in neighbouring Thailand from where almost all of these migrant returnees are coming from. According to Harvard University, Delta’s greater virulence means that unvaccinated people who become infected will be sicker and the burden on the health care system will be greater. Evidence suggests, for example, that an unvaccinated person with Delta infection is roughly twice as likely to require hospital treatment than a person infected with the previously dominant variant. Full details on the number of returnees from Thailand who have been tested positive for COVID-19 is unavailable and the number of Delta cases among these is even more elusive. – Khmer Times
Aid workers fear Covid-19 outbreak among elderly people displaced by fighting in Shan State
Dozens of elderly people who are staying in temporary shelters at monasteries in southern Shan State after fighting between two local armed groups broke out in early June are at risk of a Covid-19 outbreak, two aid workers have said. The displaced people were among about 900 who fled from the Mong Khun village tract for safety in Wan Hway Long village when the armed wings of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) began fighting. The clashes have now stopped and the younger adult villagers have returned home, but about 100 elderly people and young children stayed behind because it would be difficult for them to flee again if there was more fighting. Those left behind need personal protective equipment including masks and hand sanitizer to prevent an outbreak of the virus, said an aid worker on condition of anonymity. “We need to do awareness raising about Covid-19 prevention and we need medicines and protective equipment,” the aid worker said. “There will be a huge problem if there is an outbreak at such a place because the camps have many elderly people.” Some of the displaced people aged between 60 and 70 have survived strokes, the aid worker added. Twelve people tested positive for Covid-19 this month in the town of Mong Kung, about 20 miles from the monasteries, and individual donors from the town have been barred from entering the shelters, according to another aid worker. The junta’s ministry of health said there were 537 positive cases and 12 fatalities in Shan State on Thursday, but the official tally is widely distrusted and locals estimate that the actual number is much higher. The RCSS and SSPP are fighting because of a territorial dispute over the Loi Hun mountain range in Mong Kung Township. While the clashes have stopped in southern Shan State, the two groups fought near Nawng An village in Hsipaw Township in the north on Thursday. The SSPP says it plans to inoculate 500,000 people against Covid-19 in its territory using vaccines from China. – Myanmar NOW
President Jokowi extends level 4 restrictions with adjustments
President Joko Widodo on Sunday announced the second extension of level 4 public activity restrictions, made effective from July 26 to August 2, as Indonesia still copes with COVID-19 surge. "I have decided to extend the level 4 restrictions, but we are making some adjustments of rules related to public activities and mobility," he said in an official statement. In the statement broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's official You Tube channel on Sunday, President Widodo said cautious measures would be applied when implementing the adjustments. The extension of the level 4 restrictions in the islands of Java and Bali has considered the aspects of health, economy, and social dynamics of communities, he said. Due to the considerations, the government has made some adjustments of rules related to the operations of people-based business activities under a strict implementation of health protocols. Those allowed to serve consumers include vendors at traditional markets selling basic necessities, laundry service providers, barbershops, street vendors, and traditional retailers. Vendors at traditional markets selling non-staple foods are, for instance, allowed to run their business from morning to 03:00 p.m. local time by applying a maximum 50 percent capacity, he said. Meanwhile, traditional retailers, laundry service providers, and those running barbershops, among others, could run their businesses from morning to 09:00 p.m. local time. Those running small food stalls and street vendors could run their business from morning to 08:00 p.m. local time but they are obliged to comply with strict rules of health protocols. Detailed regulatory and technical guidance for local businesses would be made by regional administrations, he said. In reducing the burdens on communities and small businesses due to the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, the government is committed to providing them with social assistance. Indonesia has been struggling to deal with a drastic surge in COVID-19 cases in the midst of growing threats of more contagious Delta variant of coronavirus. In addressing this alarming situation, the government has been enforcing the emergency and level 4 restrictions in the islands of Java and Bali since July 3, 2021. On Saturday, Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto also held a virtual meeting with heads of regional governments to discuss the enforcement of the level 4 restrictions outside Java and Bali. At the meeting, Hartarto disclosed the government's assessment that the level 4 public activity restrictions need to be enforced in 45 districts and cities in 21 provinces to curb the spread of COVID-19. – AntaraNews.Com