Singapore must adapt to global trends to grow economy: PM Lee Hsien Loong at the opening of Dyson's new Global Headquarters at St James Power Station

Crucial for Singapore to remain open and resist temptation to turn inwards: PM Lee

By Justin Ong, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 25 Mar 2022

Dyson will invest $1.5 billion in Singapore in the next four years and expand its R&D team by more than 250 engineers and scientists, the home appliance giant said on Friday (March 25) as it officially moved into its new global headquarters at the historic St James Power Station facility in the HarbourFront area.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said this would open up exciting job opportunities for workers here, and develop new products for the global market.

He noted that as a small country, there are limits to what Singapore can do to influence global forces such as intensifying competition for investments, growing geopolitical tensions and the on-shoring of supply chains.

But it can and must adapt to them to stay competitive and to continue growing its economy, he added.

Singapore will also ensure that such growth is inclusive and benefits all segments of society, Mr Lee pledged.

Addressing an audience including Dyson founder Sir James Dyson, PM Lee said Singapore must remain open and connected to the world, not just in its borders and trade links but also in the character of its people.

"The ethos of our society must remain open - welcoming new ideas and talent, always learning from others, and never becoming resistant to change or complacent about the need to stay ahead," he said.

"This is how we have built Singapore: drawing in the best scientists, designers, and engineers from around the world, embracing the diversity of ideas and cultures that congregate here, and adding our own Singaporean touch to make it work for our context."

This is not easy to sustain in an environment where there is every temptation, especially politically, to raise barriers to the outside world, to non-Singaporeans coming here to work, he noted.

"But if we succumb to the temptation to close our doors, we will surely end up hurting ourselves. Our economy will stagnate, Singaporeans will have fewer rather than more job opportunities, and the country’s long-term prospects will be endangered," he said.

The Republic will also keep at its formula of close collaboration between industry, researchers and government to spur innovation, while it welcomes and develops talent in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics or Stem fields.

While these are all important strategies to build a more vibrant and dynamic economy, PM Lee said Singapore must also get its social policies right to continue to prosper.

“Even as we bring in investments and talents to grow Singapore’s economy, we must ensure that this growth is inclusive and lifts everybody up, that Singaporeans across all segments of our society can benefit from the fruits of growth, that those at risk of being left behind are given an extra helping hand, and those who may be displaced or disrupted by technological change are assisted and trained to stay employable and productive,” he said.

He noted that this year’s Budget aims to build a fairer and more inclusive society.

“Because ultimately, everyone must have a stake in Singapore’s growth so that Singaporeans will support keeping our country open, will continue to welcome others who are keen to fit in and play a part in our society, who are able to contribute to our development, and thereby enable us to maintain the virtuous cycle of growth and prosperity that Singaporeans now enjoy.”

Dyson, famed for its bagless vacuum cleaners and bladeless fans, is committing the $1.5 billion to Singapore over the next four years as part of a $4.9 billion global investment programme.

The Singaporean investment includes plans to hire more than 250 engineers and scientists in fields spanning robotics, machine learning, AI, sensing and vision systems and more.

Dyson currently employs over 1,400 people in Singapore, of which 560 are engineers and scientists.

Can Ivermectin be used to treat COVID-19?

Grandmother hospitalised after taking drug for parasite infestations to ‘protect herself’ against COVID-19

She did so on advice of church friends, who told her to avoid mRNA vaccines as they were 'against God's will'

By Osmond Chia, The Straits Times, 4 Oct 2021

A 65-year-old retiree fell violently ill and has been hospitalised after taking a drug meant to treat parasite infestations on the urging of her church friends to protect herself from Covid-19.

Madam Wong Lee Tak had taken four 3mg tablets of ivermectin over two days. She became ill on Friday (Oct 1), believed to be her second day of taking the prescription drug.

She suffered a 39.3 deg C fever, inflammation on her joints and would "vomit violently" after eating food, said her daughter Vanessa Koh, 32.

"I couldn't get her to eat anything. She had some oats to eat before she took medicine, but she vomited everything violently. It just exploded out of her mouth," Ms Koh told The Straits Times on Monday (Oct 4).

She took her mother to Sengkang General Hospital on Friday (Oct 1), where she remains hospitalised in stable condition.

The family initially thought that Madam Wong was suffering from side-effects to her first jab of the Sinopharm vaccine that she took on Sept 23.

Ms Koh said it had taken months of heated persuasion to convince her mother to get vaccinated, as a group of close friends from the Church of the Risen Christ had urged her not to get vaccinated with the mRNA vaccines as it was against God.

"We got into quite a lot of quarrels because she didn't want to be vaccinated," said Ms Koh, who works in a bank.

"It was such a strain on my family as with all her conditions, (my mother) is a sure-hit if she gets the virus."

Madam Wong has diabetes and high blood pressure, which makes her vulnerable to severe illness, said Ms Koh.

In the end, her mother chose to get the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine.

While it did not have the highest efficacy rate against Covid-19, it was better than nothing for her mother, said Ms Koh, who felt it was important that her mother get protected.

She said her one-year-old son was looked after by her mother during the day.

"My son could feel something was not right with my mum on Friday when she kept lying on the bed. When we didn't let him near her, he wanted to cry," said Ms Koh, whose father is now looking after her son.

"Today, he kept going to the study room, hoping to find her sitting there."

While looking after her mother when her symptoms first surfaced, Ms Koh found messages on her mother's phone, which revealed that a church member had taken orders for purchases of 1,000 ivermectin pills for $110.

A photo of a table recommending the drug's dosage by body weight for "prophylaxis and treatment of Covid-19" was sent by another member.

Ivermectin cannot be purchased over the counter but is usually prescribed by a doctor to treat head lice and other infestations. It is also used in large quantities to treat animals such as dogs and horses for heartworm and parasites.

A cautionary note on the packaging said the pills were not to be sold by retail without the prescription of a registered medical practitioner.

Ivermectin garnered attention late last year after early research indicated its potential in treating Covid-19, but the World Health Organisation in March warned that evidence was inconclusive and more studies were needed.

Ms Koh said she confronted her mother, who revealed she had purchased nine boxes of some 1,000 pills, which she hid in her study room.

"It was like carrying out my own mini drug raid. But when I asked my mother about why she is taking this, she can't tell me anything that is scientifically sound," said Ms Koh.

Her mother told her she had taken ivermectin as she believed the vaccine was useless.

"I know she just wants to say that vaccines are Satanic. She and her friends are not interested in science."

In Madam Wong's text messages, one church friend had told her, "don't allow Satan to win" and that the virus was a test of faith.

Ms Koh said she had never met the group members, and that they have not contacted her or her mother since she fell ill.

The group administrators have since removed her mother from the Telegram chats and erased all conversations with her, she added.

"They shouldn't pretend that they are experts. They told her to get ivermectin, but now my mother is suffering alone.

"(These friends) have been a pain to the family for a long time, but this time it was a step too far," said Ms Koh, who posted about her mother's ordeal on Facebook on Sunday, along with photos of her mother's text conversations with various church friends.

Singapore planning for a new normal of living with endemic COVID-19: PM Lee Hsien Loong

Test, Trace and Vaccinate.

Plans for new normal with people living with virus in their midst

PM Lee sketches scenario where Singaporeans can go about their daily lives with an endemic disease

By Lim Yan Liang, Assistant News Editor, The Straits Times, 1 Jun 2021

Singapore is planning for a new normal, where its people can carry on with their lives while the virus is in their midst, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

Addressing the nation in a live broadcast, PM Lee sketched out a scenario where people will be able to go to work and meet their friends, take part in large-scale events such as concerts, and eventually even go around without masks outdoors.

Singapore is still "some ways off from this happy state, but we are heading in the right direction", said PM Lee.

The country will get there if people continue to work together, such as by keeping up vaccination rates, taking annual booster shots and getting tested for Covid-19 often.

Before that, Singapore must raise its game and adjust its strategies in the next chapter of the fight to deal with the more infectious variants of the coronavirus that have emerged, PM Lee said as he outlined the nation's adjusted three-pronged strategy.

This means people have to get used to routinely being tested for the virus at different settings such as offices and shopping malls, with such tests set to get used more proactively and extensively.

The other two parts of the strategy are casting a wider net during contact tracing to isolate close contacts more quickly, and an accelerated national vaccination programme that prioritises first-dose vaccinations.

"If we stay united and continue to work together, we will be able to progressively open up and achieve our aim," he said.

"In the new normal, Covid-19 will not dominate our lives."

While the global pandemic will eventually subside, Covid-19 is likely to become an endemic disease that is not fully eradicated among humans, said PM Lee.

This means that Singapore must expect to see small outbreaks of the disease here from time to time, he added.

"Our aim must be to keep the community as a whole safe, while accepting that some people may get infected every now and then."

The way Covid-19 will be managed will then be closer to the way the common flu or dengue fever is tackled, through public health measures and personal precautions.

As in the case of the flu, regular vaccinations could be part of the strategy, he said.

In the new normal, testing for Covid-19 will also be more frequent, but it will be fast and easy, he added.

For instance, suitable tests can be rapidly deployed before a football game or a wedding reception, providing assurance to participants that the event is Covid-19-safe.

Those whose occupations involve close contact with many people that could result in superspreading events will also be tested more routinely, said PM Lee. These include cabbies, bus drivers, fitness instructors and teachers, alongside those who are already on rostered routine testing such as construction workers and those who work at shipyards, air and sea ports.

Different Covid-19 tests that are now available include antigen rapid tests, saliva tests, breathalysers and even DIY kits that can soon be bought over the counter, PM Lee noted.

"You should expect routine, large-scale, fast and simple testing to be part of our new normal," he said.

Living with endemic Covid-19 also means the country does not completely close its borders, he added.

"We need food, essential supplies, workers, business and other travellers to keep on flowing. We must stay connected to the world, with effective safeguards and border restrictions to keep Singaporeans safe," he said.

"We will not be able to prevent some infected persons from slipping through from time to time. But as long as our population is mostly vaccinated, we should be able to trace, isolate and treat the cases that pop up, and prevent a severe and disastrous outbreak."

Singapore's priority now is to get through the pandemic and position itself strongly for the future even as the virus continues to rage around it, said PM Lee.

He pledged that the country will emerge tougher and more confident than before, having experienced and overcome Covid-19 together as one nation.

"In this new normal, the countries which are united, disciplined and put in place sensible safeguards will be able to reopen their economies, reconnect to the rest of the world (to) grow and prosper," said PM Lee.

"Singapore will be among these countries."

Singapore receives Asia's first batch of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine; details of vaccination programme in January 2021

First shipment of COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Singapore on SIA flight from Brussels

By Yuen Sin and Toh Ting Wei, The Straits Times, 22 Dec 2020

The first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine has landed in Singapore, a crucial first step to vaccinate the population.

The vaccine - the first from Pfizer to arrive in Asia - was carried by a Singapore Airlines (SIA) Boeing 747-400 freighter, SQ7979.

The flight had departed from Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday (Dec 20) and landed at Changi Airport at about 7.30pm on Monday (Dec 21).

The shipment was prioritised for loading into the aircraft in Brussels, as well as during unloading in Singapore, SIA said.

Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung, Mr Kevin Shum, the director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the chief executives of Changi Airport Group and SIA were among those who turned up at the airport to witness the arrival of the vaccine.

Ground handler SATS moved the vaccines to its cold chain facility SATS Coolport before they were loaded onto a refrigerated truck that will send them to an external storage facility.

Speaking to reporters at the facility, Mr Ong said: "We are ready to do this and a lot of preparation work has gone into making this as smooth as possible."

SIA had conducted a successful trial to test its vaccine handling capability along the same freighter flight route on Dec 19, the airline said.

It carried out the trial with cool boxes used to pack the actual vaccine, and had tracked the internal temperature within these boxes throughout the flight. It also monitored the rate at which dry ice within the box turned into carbon dioxide.

SIA senior vice-president for cargo Chin Yau Seng said the airline was honoured to be able to play its part in an important milestone in the fight against Covid-19.

"It also served to demonstrate SIA's and the Singapore air hub's readiness for the very important job of transporting and distributing Covid-19 vaccines internationally," he said.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the first Covid-19 vaccine approved by the Health Sciences Authority in Singapore. There are no details yet on how it will be rolled out.

The vaccine is already being administered in countries such as Britain, Canada and the United States.

Singapore is one of the first countries to obtain the vaccine, and other vaccines are expected to arrive in the coming months, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced last week.

The vaccines will be offered on a free and voluntary basis to all Singaporeans and long-term residents who are currently here.

Priority will be given to healthcare and front-line workers, as well as elderly and vulnerable patients.

If all goes according to plan, there will be enough vaccines for everyone in Singapore by the third quarter of 2021.

The Republic has also beefed up its capacity to store and transport Covid-19 vaccines, and is positioning itself to be a hub for the movement of Covid-19 vaccines to the region.

Shipments from Europe are expected to go through Singapore to South-east Asia and South-west Pacific when broader regulatory approval is secured.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Changi Airport Group have set up a task force to work on the vaccine shipment process. The task force comprises 18 members in the air cargo sector, including SIA and ground handlers SATS and dnata.

Logistic firm DHL Global Forwarding, a division of German logistics giant DHL, said it had arranged for the collection of the vaccines from the manufacturing site in Puurs in Belgium. The vaccine cargo was accompanied by security escorts on the road to the airport in Brussels.

DHL will also handle the final delivery of the vaccine to the designated location in Singapore, it said.

RIE 2025: Singapore to invest $25 billion in research, innovation and enterprise over next 5 years

Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 Plan includes a programme to help nation respond nimbly to future infectious diseases

By Audrey Tan, Science and Environment Correspondent, The Straits Times, 12 Dec 2020

A $25 billion plan charting Singapore's research landscape was launched yesterday, a critical investment that will help the country emerge stronger from the shadow of Covid-19 while ensuring that it shores up its defences against future threats.

This includes a national research programme to help Singapore respond nimbly to future infectious diseases.

The pandemic has accelerated technological trends and structural changes that will reshape the global economy, and has thrown up new challenges for societies, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday during a virtual press conference to lay out the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 plan.

"Science, technology and innovation will be critical to overcoming Covid-19 and in enabling us to emerge stronger," added Mr Heng, who also chairs the National Research Foundation (NRF).

The $25 billion is equivalent to around 1 per cent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP). This proportion has remained relatively constant over the years, and puts Singapore's public investment into research on a par with other small advanced economies such as Sweden and Denmark, said NRF.

One-third of the budget will go towards basic research, whose benefits may not be immediately obvious. The five-year blueprint will focus on four key areas - health, sustainability, the digital economy and manufacturing, with firm support for basic research.

The scope under each domain will be expanded to meet the broader spectrum of national needs, said Mr Heng.

For instance, research into manufacturing will now also include studies into the air and sea links that connect Singapore with the rest of the world, while urban solutions and sustainability will now include research into the new challenges posed by climate change.

Health and biomedical sciences have been expanded to human health and potential to address a key national priority - a rapidly ageing population, Mr Heng noted. "We seek to bring the best out of every individual by focusing on improving prenatal and early childhood development, learning outcomes in children and adults, and the health and contribution span of our seniors."

Besides the four areas, there will be $3.75 billion set aside for "white space" research, up from $2.5 billion in RIE2020. This is funding dedicated to new or emerging areas of research that may arise and is open to proposals from all agencies.

The commitment underscores the importance of research even during difficult times, said NRF chief Low Teck Seng.

During the current crisis, the scientific community in Singapore rallied even during the early stages of the pandemic, pivoting away from their original research areas and applying their expertise to Covid-19.

"Investments in science and technology are an investment in the future," said Professor Low, noting that such investments could also provide good jobs for Singaporeans, and enhance and contribute to the nation's GDP growth.

For instance, investing in water technologies had not only helped this water-scarce nation overcome its resource constraints, but also built a thriving industry.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the scientific mindset is critical. "The scientific mindset - exploring the world and understanding it rationally and empirically - is crucial to Singapore. This is true not just in R&D work, but more fundamentally to the ethos of our whole society."

PM Lee, who chaired the RIE Council meeting on Thursday night, added: "Our continued investments in R&D will sustain our competitiveness and bolster our status as a tech and innovation hub."

Cultured meat: No-kill products may be food for the future

Singapore this week approved the sale of a cultured meat product. Such alternative proteins could pave the way for more sustainable food production and better food security.

By Audrey Tan, Science and Environment Correspondent, The Straits Times, 5 Dec 2020

In a world first, Singapore on Wednesday (Dec 2) approved the sale of a cultured meat product here.

The chicken bites by Californian start-up Eat Just are made by culturing animal cells in bioreactors instead of rearing animals on farms, and are not yet available for sale and consumption anywhere else.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said it was allowing the cultured chicken to be sold here after its evaluations determined it to be safe.

The company would not be drawn on a timeline on when the product will be available, but the firm's chief executive Josh Tetrick told The Straits Times on Thursday that it will be soon, and at a "higher-end" restaurant.

The aim is to make cultured meat cheaper than conventionally farmed meat, he added.

Why it matters

Alternative proteins, such as cultured meat, could pave the way for more sustainable food production and better food security.

While a report on land use by the UN's climate science body last year found that plant-based diets were still associated with a lower environmental impact compared with meat-based ones, it may not be feasible to get everyone to go vegetarian.

Culturing meat could be an alternative to rearing livestock, which according to the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation make up 14.5 percent of emissions from human activity.

Culturing meat involves taking cells from an animal (often done in a harmless way, such as through a biopsy), and then growing the cells in a nutrient broth within a bioreactor.

This process has been associated with a number of environmental benefits.

One, it reduces emissions associated with rearing livestock.

There is less need to clear forests for farms or grow crops for animal feed, and reduces methane emissions from ruminants like cows, which releases a lot of methane during digestion of their food. Methane is considered a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over shorter time spans.

Two, culturing meat can be done in a smaller land area compared with the livestock supply chain.

Three, it allows meat to be produced without slaughter. This avoids the need to confine livestock to small spaces, and reduces the chance of diseases spreading between humans and animals.

On the food security front, cultured meat could also boost the resilience of import-dependent nations like Singapore, which sources more than 90 per cent of its food from overseas.

Eat Just has said its cultured chicken bites will be manufactured in Singapore, and Mr Tetrick told ST on Thursday that the firm aims to produce enough not just for the domestic market, but for the rest of Asia as well.

What lies ahead

The need to feed a growing global population, which could reach almost 10 billion by mid-century, is straining food production systems.

And the impacts of climate change - whether changing rainfall patterns or more frequent extreme weather events - could put further stress on food security.

These trends highlight the need for new ways of producing food, with a smaller carbon footprint.

Critics have said the environmental impact of culturing meat - an energy-intensive process - is not definitively better than rearing animals the traditional way.

Context is important. In Singapore, for instance, most energy is generated by natural gas - a cleaner fossil fuel than coal or oil. Advancements made in renewable energy systems, and scaling up production of cultured meat, could boost efficiency and lower the carbon footprint of cultured meat.

As with many new innovations, more studies are needed to assess the different impacts of cultured meat products.

The SFA has done so on the food safety front. But even as research on environmental impact continues, another hurdle remains: Consumer receptivity to eating meat made a different way.

The impact of climate change can already be felt. Consumers can help, by keeping an open mind.

Emerging Stronger Taskforce: Singapore's new collaborative approach to reignite economic growth in a post-Covid-19 world

7 Singapore Together Alliances for Action (AfA) are working with the Government to act on key growth opportunities

Private, public sectors to work as partners to propel economy; medtech a new area of focus

By Tham Yuen-C, Senior Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 20 Nov 2020

As Singapore resets its economy to navigate a post-pandemic world, it has decided to take a fresh approach to growth and initiated several projects that could hold the key to the future.

These range from the safe and gradual resumption of large-scale conferences to a trial of autonomous shuttles, revealed the Emerging Stronger Taskforce (EST), six months after it started exploring new ideas to reignite the economy.

The EST is also adding a new area of focus, medical technology, which will look into developing diagnostics for diseases like Covid-19 and cancer. It is also looking at tie-ups with South-east Asian partners.

Giving an update on the work of the task force yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat noted that it has taken a new approach to collaboration under which industry-led groups dubbed Singapore Together Alliances for Action are given leeway - much like start-ups - to prototype new ideas.

"This is in keeping with the spirit of Singapore Together, where we work in partnership to achieve more than the sum of our parts," said Mr Heng, referring to the movement he and his fourth-generation colleagues started to give citizens more say in policymaking.

"This new approach to economic growth will propel our economy through Covid into a new normal post-pandemic," he added.

Members of the task force said at a press conference that this has allowed the private and public sectors to work alongside each other as partners - rather than as regulators and the regulated.

PSA International group chief executive officer Tan Chong Meng, an EST co-chair, described it as "crossing the stream while feeling the stones", rather than feeling all the stones and mapping out the way before crossing the stream.

This has borne fruit. A project by the meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions alliance, to pilot rapid testing at mass events, saw all visitors to last month's Singapore International Energy Week tested on the spot before being allowed into the venue.

The alliance on robotics has initiated a project which will see early versions of autonomous vehicles deployed by the end of the year.

And the alliance on supply chains has brought together 50 organisations to create a set of data standards that will allow different segments of the supply chain ecosystem to work together.

The other four alliances are looking at sustainability, digitalising the built environment, smart commerce and education technology.

In all, the seven alliances have collectively engaged over 600 people and over 330 businesses, trade associations and chambers, and public agencies, among others.

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, the other EST co-chair, said this agile approach to collaboration can be a competitive advantage for Singapore and may soon become the norm.

He added that it is key to be nimble as the task force has identified six shifts in the global economy from which opportunities will emerge: A changing global order; a rebalance between efficiency and resilience in supply chains and production; digital transformation and innovation; changes in consumer preferences; greater focus on sustainability; and accelerating industry consolidation and churn.

In navigating these shifts, the task force is guided by two themes, Mr Lee said, that must underpin the future economy: A Singapore that is connected to the world, and one that is sustainable for the environment and inclusive for its people.

He called on people to share their ideas through the EST's new website emergingstronger.sg, saying: "The EST needs both the support and the ideas and creativity of Singaporeans to build a Singapore that enables virtually unlimited possibilities."

Carmaking returns to Singapore with Hyundai's new smart plant in Jurong

Factory to build up to 30,000 electric vehicles a year when completed by end-2022

By Christopher Tan, Senior Transport Correspondent, The Straits Times, 14 Oct 2020

Electric cars will be built at a highly automated factory in Singapore, marking the return of automobile manufacturing here and incorporating first-of-its-kind features.

At a virtual groundbreaking ceremony of the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre in Jurong yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that the investment by the South Korean carmaker was a nod to Singapore's strengths.

"I am happy that Hyundai has chosen Singapore to locate your newest facility. It is an investment of almost $400 million, and may produce up to 30,000 vehicles per year by 2025, five years from now," said PM Lee.

The centre, to be completed by end-2022, will serve as an open innovation lab for research and development into mobility concepts, which observers reckon will include autonomous vehicles and new forms of ride-sharing.

Sitting on a 44,000 sq m plot - larger than five football fields - in the Jurong Innovation District, and with a built-up area of some 90,000 sq m, the facility will be futuristic.

It will have a landing pad for passenger drones - which Hyundai is also developing - and employ renewable energy sources such as solar and hydrogen.

When ready, the facility will have a small-scale electric car assembly line which is expected to produce up to 30,000 vehicles a year.

Customers will be able to purchase and customise their vehicles on their phones. Once an order is confirmed, production will begin.

Customers can then watch their cars being assembled at the centre.

The facility will be a "vivid demonstration" that Singapore has what it takes to dream big and reinvent itself, said PM Lee. "We did not think that Singapore would one day be manufacturing cars again. But Singapore is where we have made the impossible, possible."

He said Singapore had a car assembly industry from as early as the 1940s, but abandoned it in 1980 when commercial competitiveness began to favour high-volume plants.

But 40 years on, with the revival of electric vehicles, the game has changed again with growing interest in cleaner, smarter vehicles and cities facing pressure to move people around in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Automotive activities are becoming viable in Singapore again, he said. "Electric vehicles have a different supply chain, fewer mechanical parts and more electronics, which plays to Singapore's strengths."

That is why global companies producing automotive electronics like Delphi and Infineon have been in Singapore for some time, he added.

This will hopefully open up new growth areas for the economy, he said, and create exciting jobs such as Industrial Internet of Things engineers, data scientists and digital supply chain strategists.

Joined virtually by South Korean Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo and Hyundai Motor Group executive vice-chairman Chung Eui-sun at the event, Mr Lee added that the facility could pave the way for more South Korean companies to invest here, partner with local businesses and collaborate with universities and research institutions.

Hyundai said the facility will employ various advanced manufacturing and logistical systems, including artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and robotics.

Hyundai will also trial battery-as-a-service, where consumers buy an electric car without its battery - which can account for half its cost - and then lease the cells from Hyundai. This could reduce the cost of an electric vehicle dramatically.

The company would not reveal the number of people the facility will employ, saying it "will be determined later... as the project evolves". Earlier, a spokesman said it would create "hundreds of jobs".

Hyundai's move comes after a bid by British home appliance maker Dyson to make electric cars in Singapore. Dyson, however, pulled the plug on the venture.

COVID-19: Can a virus left on surfaces remain infectious after a few days?

Can't touch this...
Or can you? Presence of virus on surfaces may not mean it is infectious, say scientists
By Audrey Tan, Science and Environment Correspondent, The Straits Times, 28 Mar 2020

A virus may be detectable on a surface days after a patient leaves behind traces, but this does not necessarily mean it is still infectious, experts say.

This is because most detection methods pick up the presence of the viral genetic material, which may linger for days even after the structure of the virus itself is broken.

An intact structure is needed for a virus to infect a host, such as a human, said Professor Wang Linfa, director of the emerging infectious diseases programme at Duke-NUS Medical School.

"Currently, the only way we can detect (the presence of the virus) is through its nucleic acid material, and this may or may not mean that we still have a live virus," he told The Straits Times. "This is why hygiene is very important, because disinfectants and soap can get rid of live viruses that are transmissible."

His points clarify a study by the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which was published earlier this week.

In the study, the CDC said the genetic material of the coronavirus could be detected on surfaces in the cabins of infected passengers on board a cruise ship for up to 17 days after cabins were vacated, but before disinfection procedures had been conducted.

Dr Michael Mina, a physician and assistant professor in immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, remarked on Twitter that the CDC findings did not show the virus causing COVID-19 could survive for more than 17 days on a surface.

"(It just shows) that the viral RNA is detectable for at least 17 days," he said. "That's like saying that detecting DNA on a piece of hair post-mortem means a person is alive."

Under a microscope, a coronavirus like the one causing the COVID-19 disease appears spherical, with a "crown" of spikes on its surface. In its centre, encased in a lipid membrane, is its genetic material: a single-strand RNA genome.

For it to infect its host, this structure has to be intact, said Prof Wang. Various measures, such as exposing the virus to heat or through the use of disinfectants, break this structure, rendering the virus impotent and incapable of infecting its host.



For instance, the spikes on the virus' surface are susceptible to being destroyed, or denatured, by heat or the sun's ultraviolet rays. When these spikes are destroyed, viruses lose their ability to latch on to a human host cell. Similarly, disinfectants and alcohol-based sanitiser help to make a virus unviable by breaking the membrane.



Prof Wang said current tests for the virus make use of a molecular biology process known as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which helps to determine if the sample contains any detectable genetic material of the coronavirus.

He said: "The PCR test zooms into the genetic material. So we have to differentiate between a live virus, which has an intact structure, with its lipid membrane intact, that can transmit and cause disease, versus a situation where you have only a little bit of genetic material left."

He added: "In the latter, we can still get a PCR positive, but the virus is gone."

COVID-19: Singaporeans advised to defer all travel abroad; all returning residents and short-term visitors will be served 14-day Stay-Home-Notice from 20 March 2020, 2359 hours

Singapore sees record 47 new coronavirus cases on 18 March 2020

33 of the 47 new cases confirmed were imported cases, with a large majority of them returning residents and long-term pass holders

Plans to raise capacity to treat COVID-19 patients

Singapore measures meant to ensure healthcare system copes at peak: Gan Kim Yong

Without tough steps, Singapore might have 5,000 cases by now


Singapore residents told to defer all overseas travel
Self-isolation for all entering here from 11.59pm, 20 March 2020; 33 of the 47 new cases are imported
By Chang Ai-Lien, Science and Health Editor and Lim Min Zhang, The Straits Times, 19 Mar 2020

Singaporeans have been told to put all travel on hold, and those who return from abroad will have to stay at home for 14 days to prevent any further spread of Covid-19.

The tough new measures were announced yesterday as the country reported 47 new cases (18 March) - a new high - and most of them were imported.

This brings the total number of cases here to 313.

In line with recent trends, 33 of the new cases are imported, and 30 of them involve Singapore residents returning from abroad.

The new, broader measures to contain the coronavirus come as the country braces itself for a spike in infections.

The travel advisory takes immediate effect.

From 11.59pm, 20 March, all Singaporeans, permanent residents, long-term pass holders and short-term visitors entering Singapore will be served with a 14-day stay-home notice - they have to remain in their place of residence at all times.



As more Singaporeans, such as students and workers, return home, the country has to be mentally prepared that numbers could continue rising in the coming days, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force set up to deal with the outbreak.

The rise in the number of infections revealed yesterday and in recent days was a cause for concern for all, Mr Wong said at a news conference yesterday.

"We cannot afford to take further risks if the number of imported cases continues to rise. That is why we are imposing additional border controls and travel restrictions today."

As far as Singapore residents are concerned, they have been told to defer all travel - a more stringent requirement than the earlier advisory to put off non-essential travel.

As for those returning to Singapore, Mr Wong said: "This means a Singaporean coming back from anywhere in the world will have to serve a full 14-day self-isolation period."



As part of the more stringent measures, the Manpower Ministry said that from 11.59pm tomorrow, all new and existing work-pass holders planning to enter or return to Singapore from any country will have to obtain approval before they commence their journeys.

New measures are also being planned to increase distancing among people, especially among seniors and vulnerable people in the local community, to further reduce the risk of local transmission.



In addition, there will be extra precautions in place for children who have gone overseas during this period, with children having to stay at home for 14 days, even if this is before tomorrow's deadline.

This comes amid a sharp increase in the number of cases and widening spread of the virus across the world. There are now more than 208,000 Covid-19 cases across about 170 countries, and more than 8,200 deaths, with many countries experiencing an exponential rise in cases.



The number of new cases daily in Singapore has been on an uptick, with 14 on Sunday, 17 on Monday, 23 on Tuesday, and 47 yesterday, all of which were new daily highs.

Over the past three days, about 70 per cent of the new cases here were imported, and most of these were Singapore residents and long-term pass holders returning to Singapore after travel abroad, the Health Ministry said yesterday.



Task force co-chairman and Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said yesterday: "Today, we have 47 cases, we do expect to see higher numbers than this in time to come."

And the country has prepared for an increase in the number of imported cases over the next few weeks.

Mr Gan stressed that while healthcare capacity was still sufficient to deal with the current case load, with a sufficient buffer to manage new cases, the number of cases must be managed so as to reduce the peak case number in any day.

"We hope to have fewer cases, but that means the infection as a whole, the outbreak as a whole, may last a bit longer, so we have to be prepared for that, and this is part of the strategy that we are putting in place."