While ASEAN countries ease certain COVID-19 travel restrictions, the threat of a resurgence of cases remain ever eminent with cities such as Hong Kong and Melbourne experiencing a surge. ASEAN nations are caught in a conundrum between easing restrictions to boost their economies and maintain...
In the SIIA Haze Outlook 2020 Report, it was found that many hotspots in Indonesia occurred outside of known company concessions during the peak of the 2019 dry season. This was according to data from Global Forest Watch (GFW) Fires. As fires in Indonesia are...
As countries in Southeast Asia continue to reopen, many are in negotiations with others to open green lanes and form travel bubbles for essential business and tourism. This will help restart the economy and also hasten recovery for tourism-reliant economies such as Thailand. Given that...
Even though ASEAN countries are easing their restrictions, COVID-19 still poses a serious threat to public health. Indonesia is presently Southeast Asia’s worst-hit nation. Yet, in order to mitigate the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local economy, it is expected to continue...
As ASEAN countries continue to reopen their economies to mitigate the effects of the economic fallout of the pandemic, the growth projections from the World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) suggest that COVID-19 will still leave its mark on the region’s economy. Here’s...
Even as ASEAN governments reopen their economies, it bears remembering that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Beijing experienced a surge in cases originating from a food market nearly 50 days after its last confirmed case. Cases in the USA have topped 2 million and...
Singapore’s entry into the second phase of its reopening scheme was part of a larger trend of reopening efforts across ASEAN. Establishments from restaurants to schools are slowly resuming operations, while governments are calibrating their economic policies to provide further support. Governments are also discussing...
In 2017, Indonesia set a target to halve the number of hotspots in the country by 2019. However, the region was plagued by severe transboundary haze last year. Did Indonesia meet its target? Let us take a look at the hotspot trends in Indonesia and...
ASEAN countries are continuing to reopen their economies, with Singapore recently announcing that Phase 2 of its reopening would commence on Friday, 19 June 2020. The virus took a heavy toll on regional economies, and many are eager to resume their economic and social activities....
More governments eased their movement restrictions over the past week as they turn their focus towards economic recovery. Thailand and Malaysia took bigger strides towards reopening their economies, while a “fast-lane” travel agreement between Singapore and China came into effect on 8 June. Here’s a...