Prof C Raja Mohan, Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at NUS opined that the central problem of spheres of influence needs not only an understanding between the major powers that are carving them out, but also those which fall within their ambit. They have a chance of working when major powers are wise and the regional actors prudent.

Dr Mathew Mathews, Head, Social Lab and Senior Research Fellow and Mr Shane Pereira, Research Associate, both from the Institute of Policy Studies at NUS, shared their views on the societal consequences of reactions to the novel coronavirus, and how careful terminology, community leadership and responsible behaviour online are needed to stem potential anti-PRC sentiments.

President Halimah Yacob’s four-day state visit to Yogyakarta saw her highlighting areas of cooperation between Singapore and Indonesia; and visiting BLOCK71 Yogyakarta, where the delegation was shown how its Internet of Things-based system can be used to automate and integrate livestock management.

Prof Paul Ananth Tambyah and Asst Prof Jyoti Somani from the Dept of Medicine, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine shared their views on how the seasonal pattern of the 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia may be similar to that of influenza infection and SARS, and that cases may sharply fall by May when temperatures in China warm up.

Assoc Prof Jeremy Lim, Co-Director at the Leadership Institute for Global Health Transformation at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, discussed how Singapore has to adapt to a new normal that is characterised by increasingly prevalent disease outbreaks. He opined that this can be done through internalising personal hygiene norms, building trust with empathy, and striking a balance between containment and business as usual.

Mr Damien Huang, Research Associate at the Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS, together with Dr Nicholas Sim from SUSS and Dr Sabrina Heng from the University of Adelaide and PSB Academy discussed how workers can better prepare themselves and what the Government and employers can do to help them in the era of Industry 4.0.

Asst Prof Clarence Tan from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health discussed the key uncertainties surrounding the novel coronavirus, including how widely it will spread outside China, what impact this will have, and exactly how severe the illness is.  He opined that in the face of this uncertainty, we must guard against misinformation, anxiety and bigotry.

Prof Zheng Yongnian from the East Asian Institute at NUS opined that the social panic caused by the coronavirus epidemic has socio-economic implications, further adding to the uncertainty in China.

Dr Gillian Koh and Mr Damien Huang, both from the Institute of Policy Studies at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS shared that age, race and gender workplace biases are just as critical an issue as foreigners displacing locals unfairly. They opined that while the Government’s guidelines and toughened penalties provide a deterrence, HR professionals can perform a key role in self-policing their organisations and being guardians of diversity, inclusion and fair employment practices.

Dr Yu Hong, Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute at NUS opined that the Hong Kong protests have raised questions about the viability of the One Country, Two Systems model, but that Macau’s success suggested that it works well.