A deserted mall in Singapore on April 3 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - The Singapore government tabled a bill in parliament on April 7 that sought to ensure that a general election could be held safely if held during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country has said it is not ruling out holding the ballot before its deadline in early 2021. Some opposition parties have said holding any vote during the outbreak would be a health risk.
The Elections Department said the temporary arrangements would ensure the safety of voters, candidates and election officials, should the next General Election (GE) take place amid the COVID-19 situation.
Among other provisions, the bill would allow citizens who are under movement restrictions due to the outbreak to cast their vote from the designated facilities to which they may have been confined.
Singapore entered the first day of a month-long partial lockdown the same day to try and curb rising COVID-19 cases.
The Southeast Asian financial hub has won praise for testing and tracing contacts of the sick to keep its outbreak largely in check, but has seen a jump in new infections in recent days.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged Singaporeans to stay at home. Schools will close from April 8, with the tougher restrictions set to last a month.
The city-state reported 66 more COVID-19 cases on April 6, bringing its total so far to 1,375, including six deaths.
Meanwhile, Brunei will conduct COVID-19 laboratory tests randomly among migrant workers in the country, the Brunei government announced on April 6.
According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, the latest COVID-19 case statistics show that 25 out of 135 cases detected in the country were foreigners, which includes some of the foreign workers working in the country.
Therefore, the country’s Ministry of Health will enhance the monitoring of the spread of COVID-19 in the country, especially among migrant workers. The Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, will conduct laboratory tests at random among migrant workers working in Brunei.
Brunei reported no new cases of COVID-19 on April 6, the second consecutive day without new cases since the first case was detected in the nation on March 9.
Brunei's Ministry of Home Affairs announced that the Ramadhan Bazaars held during Muslim's holy month, will not be held this year, as part of the measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. The closure of all mosques and prayer halls has been extended for another week until April 13./.
