Morning Digest, Dec 29

Lawrence Wong: Expect new wave of COVID-19 cases in coming weeks, S’pore has done what it can to prepare

Singapore — Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said that Singapore must expect a new wave of Covid-19 cases in the coming days and weeks due to the Omicron variant.

“It has been more than a month since the emergence of the Omicron variant. Initially, we had adopted a more cautious containment approach” to buy time and slow down transmission, said Mr Wong in a Facebook post on Monday (Dec 27).

Read more here.

About 40% security officers in S’pore face abuse almost daily, union launches app to report grievances

Singapore — About two in five security officers in Singapore face abuse while on duty almost daily, said the Union of Security Employees (USE).

The findings are part of the latest survey on the welfare, wages, and job prospects of security officers conducted by USE and the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Read more here.

About 52,000 employees still unvaccinated in S’pore; despite only small portion medically ineligible for vaccination

Singapore — Around 52,000 employees in Singapore have not received a dose of any Covid-19 vaccine, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Monday (Dec 27), despite only a small proportion of these workers being medically ineligible for vaccination.

According to MOM, two per cent of the workforce, excluding self-employed individuals, are unvaccinated. Around 6,700 are aged 60 years old and above, hence at a very high risk of severe illness or death from Covid-19.

Read more here.

Chee Soon Juan, The Dishwasherman! “I’ve always believed in leading from the front, by example”

Singapore — On Tuesday (Dec 2), longtime opposition leader and this year, restauranteur Chee Soon Juan posted a photo of himself carrying a tray of plates and bowls, joking that his superhero name is “Dishwasherman”.

In late June, Dr Chee, the secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party, fulfilled a lifelong dream of opening Orange & Teal, a café located at Rochester Mall.

Read more here.

Viral ‘Crimewatch’ 2013 clip: Jernelle Oh channels her inner Ah Lian to bring out the ‘gangster’ girl in her

Singapore — After 35 (and counting) seasons, Crimewatch is finally gaining traction with Gen Zs.

This time, it is not because of the clip The Woman Was Too Stunned To Speak that went viral worldwide, but rather a scene from the show’s 2013 Crimewatch.

Read more here.