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As of 08:00 SGT on Thursday, March 26, 2020 (00:00 GMT / 20:00 ET, Wednesday), 467,594 coronavirus cases have been confirmed globally, with a total of 21,181 deaths, according to John Hopkins University.
Global developments
- US senate passes massive $2 trillion relief package: The bill includes billions of dollars in credit for struggling industries, a significant boost to unemployment insurance and direct cash payments to Americans. The fate of the bill now rests with the House. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. said they would not vote until Friday.
- US jobless figures due out Thursday: The first hard data on how COVID-19 is impacting the US labour force will be released on Thursday when national unemployment filings are released. Forecasts suggest between 1 - 4 million people may have filed for unemployment benefits last week, the largest number ever in such a short time.
- Drones used to remind people about social-distancing: Police in Belgium are deploying drones that emit warnings through speakers asking the public to respect social-distancing regulations.
- Spain’s death toll overtakes China: Spain’s death toll from the coronavirus which now stands at 3,647 has overtaken the official figure from China, becoming the second highest in the world. Italy continues to have the highest toll globally with 7,503 deaths and 74,386 confirmed cases.
- Prince Charles and Spain’s PM test positive: In the UK, Prince Charles tested positive for COVID-19, as has the deputy Prime Minister in Spain, Carmen Calvo.
Regional developments
- Singapore: Singapore’s economy contracted by 2.2% year-on-year in the first quarter, as the COVID-19 outbreak and global measures to prevent its spread impacted the construction and services industries, according to estimates released on Thursday. (CNA)
- China: Ahead of an extraordinary virtual summit of G20 leaders on a coordinated response to the pandemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China is ready to work with all other parties to step up coordination against COVID-19 and shore up confidence in the international community. (Xinhua)
- Thailand: Thailand has banned the entry of foreigners and the government may impose a 24-hour curfew as its next step to tackle the spread of COVID-19. (Bangkok Post)
- Malaysia: Controls on movement barring overseas travel and preventing visitors from entering Malaysia have been extended by two weeks until April 14. (CNA)
- Korea: South Korea's Prime Minister warned there will be no leniency towards people breaching the country’s 14-day self-isolation rules. (Korea Herald)
- Hong Kong: New bluetooth tracking wristbands will be issued and used to monitor arrivals under quarantine orders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (South China Morning Post)
- Japan: Amid concerns about an upcoming spike in cases, the Tokyo Governor urged people to work from home as much as possible over the coming days, and to stay indoors over weekend. (Japan Times)
- India: The health ministry issues guidelines for telemedicine enabling doctors to write prescriptions based on telephone conversations, reducing the risk of transmissions. (Times of India)
- Australia: Doctors in New South Wales are facing equipment shortages and have urged people to stay away from regional areas unable to cope with an influx of critical patients. (Sydney Morning Herald)
- Indonesia: The government is speeding up the disbursement of training funds for workers through a pre-employment card program, as well as increasing the allowance for low-income families. (The Jakarta Post)
Business response & impact
- Merck donates masks to support relief effort: Healthcare firm Merck is providing 500,000 personal protective masks to New York City to support healthcare works and first responders battling the outbreak there. Chairman and CEO Kenneth C. Frazier, said: “At Merck, we embrace our fundamental responsibility to provide our essential medicines and vaccines to patients who need them, especially in times of crisis, and to do our part to support healthcare providers and their communities”, he said.
- Home test kits for sale in the UK: Thousands of 15-minute home antibody tests for COVID-19 will be delivered by Amazon in the UK, or sold on the high street within days, according to Public Health England. More than 400,000 volunteers signed up to help the elderly population who have been ordered not to leave their homes. The number of volunteers was double the government’s target number.
- Plans for a global tracking system: GSMA, an international standard-setting body for the mobile phone industry, is exploring the creation of a global data-sharing system that could track individuals around the world to help curb the COVID-19 outbreak. GSMA is currently working with at least one other company capable of tracking individuals via their mobile devices.
- Nike’s online sales rise in China: Sportswear firm Nike has seen online sales rise by more than 30% in China as it rides out its coronavirus store shutdowns. The US firm has shut the majority of its stores globally, but says 80% have now reopened in China. Nike also saw an "extraordinary rise" in its personal training apps in China. Designed for home workouts, user activity was up 80% as China faced a national lockdown.
- Digital payments surge: Demand for digital-payment services have risen sharply in recent weeks as efforts to stem the pandemic saw housebound shoppers stocking up on groceries, prescription drugs, audiobooks and movies online. In Italy – one of the worst affected countries – ecommerce transactions have risen 81% since the end of February, according to McKinsey.
- Video-streaming quality reduced: At least four tech giants providing online streaming services have agreed to reduce video-streaming quality in Europe to avoid broadband congestion and overwhelming system capacity. As more people work and learn from home, concerns about stress being placed on broadband networks continue to grow.
- Start-up funding dwindles: Early-stage funding for start-ups is reportedly drying up as the coronavirus outbreak puts investors on edge. Capital from seed-stage funding which is often the first significant source of cash for new ventures has declined by about 22% globally since January, according to analysis this week by market-intelligence firm, CB Insights. It puts total private-market funding for start-ups at $67bn in the first quarter, down from an initial forecast of $77bn.
DAILY FOCUS: Entertainment
As part of our daily monitoring of the latest developments and impact on businesses, each day we will take a deeper dive into one sector. Today, we look at entertainment - tracking national and international coverage over the past fortnight.
Key findings
- Self-isolation, social distancing and working from home has led to a significant increase in online streaming and mobile gaming across the region.
- YouTube said it will reduce its quality of videos for the next month due to significant increase in online streaming. Amazon Prime is reducing its video quality and free access to its children’s programmes. It is also exploring opportunities to make a wider selection of content available for customers. Netflix reduced streaming bitrates in Australia and New Zealand as it expects customers to binge watch its content which could put strain on broadband networks. Netflix Party, a browser plug in, allows friends and families to watch their Netflix shows with synchronised video playback and group chat facilities.
- Some e-sport leagues have been postponed across the region, including those in Malaysia. One games provider is reportedly working with team owners to bring back the League of Legends Championship Series soon.
- League Champions of Korea, South Korea's pro league, has resumed online activities and its professional football league K League treated its fans by playing an online football tournament game.
- Online gaming in Australia may take off as a result of COVID-19. New Zealand saw record-breaking viewing of esport motor racing contest The Race All-Star Esports Battle.
- There has been a rise in mobile online gaming. Indonesia saw a 11% increase in in-app purchase on mobile games. In South Korea, in-app mobile game purchase was up 35%.
- With many theme parks shut in the region, fans have found video tours for rides on internet streaming services.
Methodology
Media analysis of stories covering the following countries: Australia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam between March 12 - 25.
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