It was just a matter of time before Singapore’s commitment to live with Covid-19 would be tested.
The only surprise is how quickly that moment came and how avoidable it was trib.al/uxFhm7X
Singapore announced it would tighten certain social-distancing measures to contain a cluster that started at a karaoke lounge.
The outbreak will delay reopening plans, which could be rolled back significantly if virus numbers surge trib.al/RAvrZF4
The announcement came days after restrictions eased and weeks after the government announced its intention to shift from a “Zero Covid” strategy to a “new normal.”
For risk-averse Singapore, it promised to be a significant step trib.al/RAvrZF4
The government’s instinct to do whatever it takes to curb this outbreak has merit.
Yet there’s little indication that the latest measures are informed by the government’s new guiding philosophy, even if Singapore hasn’t hit its vaccination target trib.al/RAvrZF4
Facilities aren't at the point of being overwhelmed. As of July 16, 1,000 ICU beds had been set aside for Covid patients. As of July 19:
➡️ One elderly patient is in ICU for Covid
➡️ Five cases require oxygen supplementation
➡️ 242 people are in hospital trib.al/RAvrZF4
The latest events are another example of Singapore’s impulse to micromanage its pandemic response with a curation of dos and more often don’ts.
It’s the inability to see the bigger picture that has become the country’s Achilles’ heel time and again trib.al/RAvrZF4
If Singapore wants to go back to trying to live with the virus, it must interpret the data in ways that will make its people feel safe, not fearful bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
Singapore should focus on the figures that matter:
Everything from a surge in engagement ring sales to booked-up venue rentals indicate we’re headed for a major marriage boom trib.al/S9RmA5J
The boom isn’t all due to pent-up demand.
Previous marriage booms suggest that human emotions, particularly those associated with collective traumas, play a big role in nudging people to the altar — and determining whether they remain married or split up trib.al/S9RmA5J
If you look at marriage booms and busts over the long run, a few trends stand out.
Data scientist Randal Olson compiled the data to show the effects of major events like world wars and economic crashes on U.S. marriage and divorce rates trib.al/S9RmA5J
As expected, that has created inflation 12 months on as the economy reopens and rebounds. Now the market seems to believe that a resurgence of the pandemic will rein in inflation before it grows out of control megaphone.link/HSW4074133197
Either market players remain confident that the Federal Reserve can keep rising prices under control…
OR
They’re worried the economy won’t keep growing fast enough to push inflation numbers higher trib.al/Em3NLWC
Restrictions in Sydney have tightened — but cases keep rising. The outbreak that resulted has now infected more than 1,000 people.
While many parts of the world are emerging from a year of restrictions, Sydney is entering its winter of discontent trib.al/ShqKIK4
Australia's failure to heed warnings before it gets too late bodes poorly for the ability to navigate other complex global crises in the coming years, writes @davidfickling
The cost of feeding the world is the most expensive it’s been in years.
The FAO’s food price index, which tracks a basket of grains, vegetable oils, meat, dairy and sugar, rose to its highest level in a decade in May bloom.bg/3xRPgZa
On the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the prices of some commodities have soared including:
Even the price of moving food around the world is surging bloom.bg/3xRPgZa
Food prices have always been cyclical, but there’s reason to believe the current disruptions won’t disappear immediately as the world returns to pre-pandemic norms.
By Tuesday, two of the Earth’s wealthiest individuals will have flown into space.
🚀 Richard Branson has already been on July 11 aboard a Virgin Galactic spaceship
🚀 Jeff Bezos’s rocket trip with Blue Origin is on Tuesday trib.al/6oESsn5
It’s taken a couple of decades for both men to realize their ambition of going into space: Blue Origin was founded in 2000 and Virgin Galactic four years later trib.al/6oESsn5
Critics will say that they could have devoted their time and money toward more worthy terrestrial endeavors (and paying more tax).
Hopefully seeing Earth’s majestic curvature inspires better care of this planet trib.al/6oESsn5
“Living” with Covid-19 has been talked about since the pandemic first began.
This so-called “endemic” phase would see Covid-19 look more like influenza, with regular vaccine campaigns and a focus on primary care. Not eradicated, but managed trib.al/2ZghWvM
🇫🇷Paris is swarming once again with workers
😷Masks are dangling from wrists rather than noses
🎶Nightclubs are back open
It’s becoming clear that living with Covid will remain an elusive goal without a renewed boost to pandemic management trib.al/2ZghWvM
The reopening of Europe’s major economies is starting to hit a speed bump as cases rebound. Hospitalizations are on the rise in:
🇪🇸📈 Spain
🇫🇷📈 France
The more contagious delta variant is ripping through the continent trib.al/2ZghWvM