COVID-19

In order to contain and manage the COVID-19 situation, Singapore relies on technology, rigorous, systematic methods and restrictions. With the most recent outbreak, the government has pushed back plans to remove restrictions with the goal of eventually being able to live with the virus. This photo-essay takes a closer look into the small-island state and how it manages COVID-19 through technology and systematic orderly approaches.

Almost two years since the Philippines implemented lockdown measures to curb COVID-19 infections, some schools in the country have resumed face-to-face classes. In the capital Manila, however, physical classes in school due to recommence in January was suspended because of surging cases in late 2021. Most are the Omicron variant, which now brings total cases to over three million and more than 50,000 deaths.   

We are experiencing two very different pandemic realities between low-income and high-income countries. Unfortunately, instead of seeking a solidarity-based response, the international community has once again demonstrated its disunity in this health crisis. The task now is to regain credibility and rebuild trust.

Indonesia leads the G20 in the challenging and complex situation of global uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with its priority agenda around global health architecture, economic and digital transformation, and energy transition. The G20 presidency is significant for Indonesia, reflecting trust and honor in the country but also responsibility and opportunity, to contribute more to the global economic recovery and to align with ASEAN, Pacific and developing countries’ interests.

Besides the public health emergency of the coronavirus pandemic, the social and economic impacts have been felt deeply by the Timorese people. Most of the population work in subsistence agriculture and the informal sector, and lockdown measures mean people often choose between two hard decisions: losing their earnings or becoming infected.

Some may think that addressing sustainability - whether plastic use or climate change - can come after economic recovery from COVID-19. But they are not separate issues at all.

More public awareness of the link between wildlife and pandemics has given conservation groups a wider entry point to step up campaigns against their use. But COVID-19 restrictions have also led wildlife traffickers and sellers to turn to social platforms to push their trade.

Southeast Asia is struggling to contain the spread of COVID-19 amid a resurgence driven by the Delta variant, leaving national governments with no capacity to spare on neighbouring countries. At the same time, ASEAN faces a trust problem due to the intangible nature of regional cooperation, and capacity issues associated with the prolonged deadlock over the selection of a special envoy to deal with the political crisis in Myanmar. Nevertheless, the potential for future regional cooperation after the health crisis subsides is within view.

Women are among the hardest hit by the intersecting and overlapping impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through community mobilization and solidarity, women are also finding solutions.