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MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020
VOL.24 | NO.241
LIFESTYLE
14
Fostering Sisterhood On The Road
FEATURES
24
Where Will The Bodies Go? Morgues
Plan As Virus Grows
WORLD
28
Jordan To Use Drones, Cameras To
Monitor Curfew
HOME
7
Minister Urges Public To Support
Businesses
Number of cases
Number of deaths
Recovered cases
Brunei Darussalam
COVID-19 STATISTICS
As of 5 April 2020
135
1
73
Zero virus cases reported, public
reminded not to be complacent
James Kon
Brunei Darussalam recorded no new cases
of COVID19 yesterday, further lattening
the curve.
This was announced by Minister of Health
Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji
Jaafar at a press conference.
“
Alhamdulillah
, by the grace of Allah the
Almighty, the Ministry of Health (MoH) would
like to inform the public that there are no new
cases of COVID19 infection in the country.
Therefore, as of now, the total number of
COVID19 cases in Brunei Darussalam remains
at 135,” he said.
The minister, however, warned that the
COVID19 outbreak was not over yet.
“We must continue to abide by all the
precautionary measures to further reduce the
risk of spreading the infection,” Dato Seri Setia
Dr Haji Mohd Isham said.
He said seven cases at the National Isolation
Centre have recovered and were allowed to
return home, bringing the total number of
recovered cases so far to 73.
“This means 61 cases are still undergoing
treatment at the National Isolation Centre.
Of the 61, three are still in critical condition
and require respiratory assistance at the
Intensive Care Unit. One still requires
the assistance of a heart-lung machine
(ECMO). The rest are in stable condition,”
he said.
Meanwhile, 2,065 individuals have
completed their quarantine in accor-
dance with the Infectious Diseases Act
(Chapter 204), with only 280 still under-
going quarantine.
The minister said, “A total of 113 have
completed the self-isolation period at isolation
facilities provided by the government, and
have been allowed to return home, bringing
the total number to 326.
“Since early January 2020, a total of
8,129 laboratory tests for COVID-19 have
been conducted, leading to a ratio of one
in 54 individuals in the country who have
been tested.”
The minister commended all those working
hard to curb the spread of COVID19 in Brunei
Darussalam.
“Our deepest appreciation for all the
efforts and cooperation, whether from
government agencies, non-government
agenc i es , vo l un t ee r bod i es and t he
public, who have all played a part in en-
suring that the measures in curbing the
COVID-19 outbreak in Brunei Darussalam
are well implemented.”
Continue to Page 3
Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji
Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar speaks at the
press conference. PHOTO: AZIZ IDRIS
WASHINGTON (AFP) - United States
(US) President Donald Trump warned
Americans tobrace for a “very horrendous”
number of coronavirus deaths in the
coming days, before a rare speech by
Queen Elizabeth II yesterday aimed at
rallying hard-hit Britain.
Global deaths from the COVID19
pandemic have soared past 60,000, with
Europe continuing to bear the brunt of the
virus which has left roughly half the planet
con ined at home. There are now more
than 1.2 million con irmed cases across
the globe, and around 65,000 people have
died since the virus irst emerged in China
late last year, according to a Johns Hopkins
University tally.
Trump said the US was entering “a time
that’s going to be very horrendous” with
“some really bad numbers.”
“This will probably be the toughest
week,” he said at the White House. “There
will be a lot of death.”
At the same time, the President
stressed the US - where infections have
surpassed 300,000 - cannot remain shut
down forever.
“Mitigation does work but again, we’re
not going to destroy our country,” he said.
Continue to Page 2
Trump warns
‘toughest week’
ahead as global
virus deaths
top 60,000
James Kon
With Brunei Darussalam recording no new
COVID19 cases yesterday and lattening
the curve since March 30, with no surge in
new cases, Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia
Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar urged
the public not to be complacent with these
early results.
“Although the spread of COVID-19
is currently under control, the public
should not forget that we are still in
a c r i s i s ,” t he mi n i s t e r t o l d a p r e s s
conference yesterday.
“Don’t be complacent. An outbreak of
infection is very complex, and we still need
to carry out measures such as no mass
gatherings, practising social distancing and
practising good personal hygiene.”
“There are some countries that previously
managed to control the spread of COVID19,
and now they have to be in lockdown. These
are advanced countries and this shouldn’t
be happening. This is because people have
become complacent by going to crowded
places after inding out there were not many
con irmed cases.”
Continue to Page 2
Crisis not over, says minister
Brunei’s total fertility rate
drops below replacement level
Azlan Othman
Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, Singapore,
Malaysia and Vietnam are among the ASEAN
member countries which have the total fertility
rate (TFR) below the replacement level, World
Bank data revealed.
TFR refers to an average number of
babies born per woman throughout her
reproductive life. Brunei’s TFR is the third
lowest after Singapore and Thailand in the
region, according to a World Bank report.
Brunei’s TFR dropped to 1.7 per cent per
woman in 2018, compared to 1.8 per cent in
2017, 2016 and 2015. In 2012, the rate was 1.907
per cent.
Statistics from the Department of Economic
Planning and Statistics (JPES) indicate that the
birth rate throughout the Sultanate in 2017
was 6,452; 6,437 in 2016; and 6,699 in 2015.
Gross rate of births in 2018 for every 1,000
population was 14 per cent in 2018, compared
to 15 per cent in 2017; 15.4 per cent in 2016 and
16.2 in 2015.
ASEAN member countries’ fertility rates
have been drifting with the Southeast Asia’s
TFR dropping from 5.5 in 1970 to 2.11 in 2017.
Continue to Page 8