special topics

The World Health Organization has been meeting for the last two days by video conference. It’s a shortened annual meeting, and of course it’s all about COVID-19.  That means discussion has been postponed on at least one controversial issue in the Asia Pacific.

Governments around the world are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to fight the economic freeze that has followed the coronavirus pandemic. Debates are still continuing about whether to spend more — as well as the pace of reopening business.

As we come to the close of another week, more businesses are opening, but that does not include the travel industry. In Hong Kong, government officials say they’re looking at a possible return to travelers at some point this summer.

While most states are starting to re-open their economies, many of them have not seen a consistent decline in the number of new cases of coronavirus. A similar pattern is emerging in some countries — including Indonesia.

Some of the restrictions put in place to deal with the coronavirus pandemic are gradually loosening in many countries and in a majority of states — including Hawaii. One place that’s been relatively successful in controlling the spread of the virus is New Zealand. And tomorrow, the country moves to a new phase.

One of the biggest western tourist attractions in Asia is open for business this week. Shanghai Disneyland limited visitors to a third of its capacity on Monday, and staggered entry times. But a return of international tourism to the region will require much more than facemasks and social distancing. And that includes a favorite destination for Chinese travelers: Thailand.

Australia is among the many locations taking a phased approach to re-opening following the coronavirus pandemic. Some guidelines are fairly broad, but others are very specific.

Some restrictions are gradually loosening on businesses around the state this week and next week –although we are still some time from ramping up travel to Hawaii. But there are some countries in the Asia Pacific that are taking a different kind of attitude to certain types of travel.

Some lawmakers in the Philippines are pushing to get the country’s largest broadcaster back on the air. The station’s signal was taken down following a long-running dispute with the government, and in the middle of a continuing pandemic.

Professional sports are on hold all over the world during the coronavirus pandemic. But that is starting to change—with some baseball games in Asia. And now they’re on the air in the United States.

Across the country and around the world, leaders of states and countries are making decisions about whether and how far to re-open. This week, the leader of one of the largest economies in the Asia Pacific announced his latest approach to fighting the pandemic.

Some states and countries are starting to loosen a few of the restrictions put in place to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus. But travel and tourism remain locked down when it comes to Hawaii, and most other locations. But that may shift in one region of the Asia Pacific.

In many places, today is Labor Day — a celebration of working people at a time when work has been disrupted around the world. In one Southeast Asian nation, the Prime Minister used his annual Labor Day address to talk about a cautious re-opening to a work world that will be very different.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way many businesses operate. It’s also led to an increased pace of development for certain ideas — including one announced this week in Singapore.

Stay at home orders are becoming challenging for many during this pandemic. Two government officials in Malaysia have been fined this week for violating rules, and they are far from alone.

Attention is increasingly shifting to the cautious and limited re-opening of some areas around the world. And there’s great interest on research and development that can help with that goal. A lot of that work is being done in the Asia Pacific.

This could be a crucial week when it comes to fighting the spread of the coronavirus in Japan. The country will soon launch into “Golden Week” — a series of holidays which is usually one of the biggest travel periods in the country. But of course, this year is different.

Congress has now passed another financial aid package that includes help for small business. One country in Asia is taking a different approach — targeting several industrial sectors with companies that are much bigger.

Indonesia is suspending domestic and international air and sea travel because of COVID-19. The government made that announcement today — shortly after the governor of Jakarta extended social distancing restrictions.

Different states and countries are adopting various approaches when it comes to the possibility of gradually re-opening. There’s a country in Southeast Asia whose economy is dependent on tourism, and is considering a gradual loosening of a national lockdown.

Discussions are underway about when the state may start to gradually re-open, although that will not be a sudden process. Governor Ige is expected to announce more details later this week. Across the Asia Pacific, some countries are facing different situations.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has hit vulnerable populations around the world especially hard. That includes the elderly and the disabled. And in Singapore, it includes low-wage workers from other countries.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has been global, but its impacts have varied from country to country. One that has received less attention than some others is Australia. But this week there have been several developments showing its economy looks vulnerable.

Hawaii’s election schedule is going ahead as planned. The Office of Elections says the primary will be held on August 8th. The elections will be held by mail – but in South Korea this week there was a very different experience — despite the challenging timing.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell has ordered wider use of facemasks in public, starting next Monday. It’s part of the efforts to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus, and it broadens his earlier request that people wear masks when they go out. This week in Singapore, authorities made that behavior mandatory.

The World Health Organization is updating its advice to countries when it comes to dealing with COVID-19.  The recommendations cover topics from transmission to testing and contact tracing. WHO officials have recently praised several countries for their handling of the pandemic—and that list includes a surprise for some people: Vietnam.

It’s been three weeks today since Oahu has been under “stay at home” orders, and just about that long for most other major islands in the state. “Social distancing” was put into place in many places in Asia around that same time, but at differing levels.

Countries have adopted various strategies to combat the spread of COVID-19.  So have some cities. That includes the capital of Indonesia — where new social distancing rules take effect today. 

Police across the islands are starting to crack down on people who are disobeying “stay at home” orders. On Oahu, police are moving from warnings to misdemeanor arrests. Across Asia, authorities are facing a slightly different challenge: dealing with those who break quarantine.

Throughout the global pandemic of COVID-19, many health experts have pointed to Singapore as a country that has taken many of the right steps to combat the spread of the virus.  Now, the country is ramping up a new series of restrictions.