These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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One in six foreign workers in dorms contracted Covid-19, based on official tally
About one in six foreign workers living in dormitories contracted Covid-19, a calculation based on Singapore's official tally showed, but the true infection rate in the dormitories is likely to be higher than this, experts say. If accurate, however, an infection rate of one in six would not be enough for herd immunity to develop in the migrant worker population, they added. A total of 52,425 out of 323,000 workers had been infected as of Wednesday. In most countries, the number of "cryptic" infections - which are infections missed by the official case count - is probably around five to 10 times greater than the number of officially diagnosed cases, said Associate Professor Alex Cook, vice-dean of research at the National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. They occur because an individual with a negative result at the point of testing may become infected in the future or may have recovered from a previous infection. – The Straits Times
Wary of another MCO, eateries urge SOP compliance
Restaurant and cafe operators are appealing to customers to continue to comply with the government's standard operating procedures (SOP) to stem the spread of Covid-19. Already reeling from the financial devastation wreaked by the Movement Control Order (MCO) in March, restaurateurs and cafe operators are hoping that continued adherence to the SOP will prevent a return to the days of the MCO. Siti Li Dining, an upmarket Malay eatery in Damansara Heights here, was not spared the effects of the MCO. Financial woes forced it to trim its workforce. Shareen Ramli, one of its co-owners, said during the MCO, it had to get creative as no dining-in was allowed. Most of the floor staff were reassigned to manning phones to handle orders. She said the industry could not afford to go back to the MCO. Some of her fellow restaurateurs, she said, even had to shutter their businesses. "A lot of friends are suffering from the repercussions. They are slowly making their way back, but it's a long way to full recovery. – New Straits Times
Students told to mind monarchy message
The authorities are looking to identify people who rallied for monarchy reforms at Thammasat University on Monday, according to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Speaking after the weekly cabinet meeting, Gen Prayut said those who rallied at the university made comments that potentially violated Section 112 of the Criminal Code, adding the incident must be examined to determine who financed the demonstration and who was behind it. Students have hit the streets in recent weeks, demanding the resignation of Gen Prayut's cabinet, the dissolution of parliament and the drafting of a new constitution. At the Monday rally, students expanded their demands to include reform of the monarchy, the kingdom's highest institution. The premier reminded the authorities that opening a probe into such activities is a standard procedure that does not require an order from him. Gen Prayut also brushed off claims made on social media that police were sent in to arrest students, saying the posts "were hard to verify". However, he said most people would not tolerate the government's failure in taking legal action against law offenders. – Bangkok Post
'Pull the brake': Unease as more than half of COVID-19 beds in Jakarta in use
Jakarta is reaching a critical point in its fight against COVID-19 as it sees rising hospitalization of COVID-19 patients, prompting concerns that it would have to increase its healthcare capacity and reimpose stricter curbs. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said in a press release late on Thursday that 65 percent of 4,456 isolation beds and 67 percent of 483 intensive care unit (ICU) beds designated for COVID-19 patients were now occupied. "In the past two weeks, there has been a trend of increasing isolation and ICU room [occupation] in Jakarta. [...] The [occupancy rates] have varied over a month, ranging from 40 to 50 percent in July," Anies said. Anies previously said in July that the administration had prepared 4,556 isolation beds and 659 ICU beds for COVID-19 patients, higher than the figures mentioned in the release. However, city officials also noted that the number of available ICU beds have shown a significant decrease due in part to reallocation to non-COVID-19 patients – entire ICU wards can be redesignated under such circumstances. National COVID-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said during a press briefing on Tuesday that the bed occupancy rate, which he referred to as bed utilization per month, stood at 66 percent in the capital. – The Jakarta Post
PhilHealth insists IRM is ‘legal, necessary’ for COVID-19 response
Despite already being suspended, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Friday maintained that its interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM) was “legal and necessary” for the country’s COVID-19 response. PhilHealth, in a statement posted on its Facebook page, also assured that COVID-19 inpatient benefits will continue to be enjoyed by its affected members. “PhilHealth clarifies the following: IRM suspended to review the overall implementation and resolve issues arising from Congressional inquiries,” PhilHealth’s statement read. “[PhilHealth] [m]aintains IRM is legal and necessary for the country’s overall Covid-19 response, it added. “Regular COVID-19 inpatient benefits, testing and community isolation packages shall continue to be enjoyed by its affected members.” IRM is an emergency cash advance measure of PhilHealth to provide hospitals with an emergency fund to respond to natural disasters, calamities as well as other unexpected events. The state health insurer on Thursday announced the suspension of the IRM after several senators called for its temporary halt amid allegations that the release of funds for the country’s coronavirus response was marred with irregularities. – INQUIRER.net
Vietnam pays last respects to former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu
A respect-paying ceremony for former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu began this morning at 8am and will run until noon at the National Funeral Hall, No. 5 Tran Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi. The memorial service will be held at 12:30pm on Saturday at the same place. The burial ceremony will take place at 2pm the same day at Mai Dịch Cemetery in the capital. At the same time, respect-paying and memorial ceremonies for the late former Party General Secretary will also be held at the Thong Nhat Hall in HCM City and the 25B Hall on Quang Trung Street, Thanh Hoa City, Thanh Hoa Province. Senior Lieutenant General Le Kha Phieu was born on December 27, 1931, in Thanh Hoa Province’s Dong Son District. He became involved in revolutionary activities in 1947 and joined the Communist Party of Vietnam on June 19, 1949. He was a member of the Party Central Committee of the 7th and 8th tenures, member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat of the 7th tenure, Politburo member of the 7th and 8th tenures, General Secretary of the Party Central Committee from December 1997 to April 2001; and Deputy to the National Assembly of the 9th and 10th tenures. – Viet Nam News
Tourist spots step up Covid-19 precautions
Tourist centres such as coastal areas, Siem Reap, and the northeastern provinces have prepared Covid-19 prevention measures in anticipation of the upcoming holidays. The deputy governor of Siem Reap province Tea Seiha said on Wednesday that several precautions will be in place based on Ministry of Health directives. “We will put gaps in public places and we will clean and encourage people to bring masks and Krama. “For restaurants and hotels, we will check if each room is clean. For restaurants, each table must be kept a certain distance from others. Establishments must cordon off outside space for people walking by to avoid large gatherings,” Seiha said, giving examples. Kampot provincial governor Chiao Tai said on Wednesday that his province has focused on main tourist destinations and mandated mask, hand washing and social distancing. “Important places like hotels and restaurants must prepare alcohol, masks and other prevention materials. There are also prevention measures at border checkpoints to prevent transmission,” he said. Koh Kong provincial governor Mithona Phouthong said she advised local authorities to be cautious and follow the advice of the Ministry of Health. – The Phnom Penh Post