Thailand

The United States and China on Monday each demanded that the other stop smearing its reputation over the novel coronavirus as Donald Trump referred to the pathogen as the “Chinese Virus”. “The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus,” the US president tweeted Monday night. Trump’s allies …

The Philippine stock exchange chief said he plans to reopen the $188 billion market on Thursday, signaling a quick resumption of trading after the country became the first to shut financial markets in response to the widening coronavirus pandemic. The controversial move to halt trading came amid mounting speculation that other countries may take similar measures as stocks around the …

Unsettled disputes between tour operators and airlines may exacerbate the tourism situation in Thailand by forcing outbound wholesalers to exit the market, with more layoffs. The global coronavirus pandemic has created significant impacts to global tourism as the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has predicted a contraction of international arrivals by 1-3% with an estimated loss of US$30-50 billion in receipts, …

International travellers landing in Beijing will be quarantined for 14 days at their own expense, authorities in the Chinese capital announced on Sunday, as governments around the world introduced new restrictions to contain a coronavirus pandemic. From Monday, everybody entering Beijing from outside the country will be transferred to a central isolation facility for 14 days of observation, Chen Bei, …

Asian stocks and US stock futures tumbled as central banks took sweeping action to blunt the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Italy’s government will meet Monday to pass a new package of measures after deaths jumped by 368 Sunday. The Federal Reserve slashed rates to near zero and the Bank of Japan strengthened stimulus.  Airlines cut flights and could …

Germany’s foreign minister said Monday the rights to coronavirus vaccine research were not for sale, following reports Donald Trump wanted the US to buy exclusive access to a potential vaccine developed by a German biotech firm. The comments, made in an interview to media group Funke, come as scientists raced to develop a vaccine against the deadly coronavirus that has …

Thailand is preparing to restrict some aspects of daily life after the country’s biggest spike in coronavirus cases, further damaging one of Asia’s weakest economic outlooks. The steps to be considered Monday include placing more curbs on foreign arrivals, cancelling events with big crowds and closing entertainment venues deemed risky for spreading the virus. Confirmed cases jumped by 32 on …

The government has stepped up measures to contain the coronavirus or Covid-19 if the country reaches Stage 3, a full-blown pandemic, with the first measure to use a newly built hospital to treat only Covid-19 patients, as the number of infections jumped alarmingly to 114 yesterday. The premier mentioned the prospect of moving to Stage 3 after chairing an urgent …

A proposal for a stabiliser fund to support the battered stock market is scheduled to be vetted by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday. According to Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, who discussed the issue yesterday with the Finance Ministry, the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Bank of Thailand, all parties agreed …

An association of chest physicians is calling on the government to prepare for Covid-19 to become a “Stage 3”, full-blown epidemic in Thailand while slamming the authorities’ slow response to the spread of the disease. The Thoracic Society of Thailand issued an emotionally charged statement warning that the country might not be equipped to deal with a drastic escalation in …