Jamus Lim: 'What we're trying to deny them is a blank cheque', Singapore GE2020 debate - 2020

1 July 2020, Singapore

A very big part of social mobility is ensuring that we take care of those that have already contributed to our economy and our society in the years where they were putting in the effort. So we need, we absolutely need to take care of our elderly that lives among us. It is really a crime that we see the elderly continue to feel that they have to work in order to make ends meet. Dr. Chee mentioned as well about education and, as an educator myself, that warms the cockles of my heart. But unfortunately we have moved away. When I was in school, we used to have an educational system where really there was equality of opportunities. But if you look at the schools now, you don't see that And Dr. Chee Mentioned one of the elements where we can actually bring about a greater equality by ensuring that the schools that are not the elite schools actually get a disproportionately higher amount of educational spending.

Now, the other element which we feel strongly about is decreasing class sizes, because I think this ironically ends up penalising students that are in large classes and are forced to take lessons, additional lessons out of the classroom, in the form of private tuition. We do not necessarily object to policy just because of the sake of objection. Ultimately what we want is the right policy. I think the fact that we're having a debate and agitating toward an answer is a step positive in that direction. Within the manifesto, we have actually done the math behind it and everything within our budget actually is budget neutral. Now, what is true though, is that it does entail a set of trade-offs. Where we fundamentally differ is where we think those trade-offs actually should occur. Now, the PAP tend to side on the side of capital, we think in fact that for every dollar of national income, Singaporean workers already receive an insufficient amount. 42 cents, compare that to 55 cents in Japan and much higher in other high-income countries. And we think that a rebalance of that kind of share of labour income is ultimately necessary.

This is exactly why the debates about ideas for how Singapore should progress should occur. And I think it's also clear just from this debate that the PAP does not have a monopoly on the best ideas on how we should bring the society forward. Now, the PAP has argued that this election is really about giving them a mandate to bring the country out of this crisis and they need this mandate in order to do so. The truth is, the PAP, in all likelihood, will have this mandate by the end of this election. And I think that what we are trying to deny the PAP isn't a mandate, what we're trying to deny them is a blank check. And that is what I think this election truly is about so that we can actually have this kind of debate. It's not just in the constrained form over a table, but actually in the forum, which was designed for this, which is parliament. So if you believe, and I call on voters, if you believe in having all voices heard, if you believe that we succeed only when we have sound and rational debates about what matters, if you believe in the essence of a democratic, modern society for the 21st century, then we ask that you make your vote count.

Boris Johnson: 'We must stay alert, control the virus and save lives', Statement easing COVID-19 restrictions - 2020

10 May 2020, Downing Street, Westminster, London, United Kingdom

It is now almost two months since the people of this country began to put up with restrictions on their freedom – your freedom – of a kind that we have never seen before in peace or war. And you have shown the good sense to support those rules overwhelmingly. You have put up with all the hardships of that programme of social distancing. Because you understand that as things stand, and as the experience of every other country has shown, it’s the only way to defeat the coronavirus – the most vicious threat this country has faced in my lifetime.

And though the death toll has been tragic, and the suffering immense, and though we grieve for all those we have lost, it is a fact that by adopting those measures we prevented this country from being engulfed by what could have been a catastrophe in which the reasonable worst-case scenario was half a million fatalities. And it is thanks to your effort and sacrifice in stopping the spread of this disease that the death rate is coming down and hospital admissions are coming down. And thanks to you we have protected our NHSand saved many thousands of lives.

And so I know – you know – that it would be madness now to throw away that achievement by allowing a second spike.

We must stay alert. We must continue to control the virus and save lives. And yet we must also recognise that this campaign against the virus has come at colossal cost to our way of life. We can see it all around us in the shuttered shops and abandoned businesses and darkened pubs and restaurants.

And there are millions of people who are both fearful of this terrible disease, and at the same time also fearful of what this long period of enforced inactivity will do to their livelihoods and their mental and physical wellbeing. To their futures and the futures of their children.

So I want to provide tonight – for you – the shape of a plan to address both fears. Both to beat the virus and provide the first sketch of a road map for reopening society. A sense of the way ahead, and when and how and on what basis we will take the decisions to proceed. I will be setting out more details in parliament tomorrow and taking questions from the public in the evening.

I have consulted across the political spectrum, across all four nations of the UK. And though different parts of the country are experiencing the pandemic at different rates, and though it is right to be flexible in our response, I believe that as prime minister of the United Kingdom – Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland – there is a strong resolve to defeat this together. And today a general consensus on what we could do. And I stress “could”. Because although we have a plan, it is a conditional plan. And since our priority is to protect the public and save lives, we cannot move forward unless we satisfy the five tests.
• We must protect our NHS.
• We must see sustained falls in the death rate.
• We must see sustained and considerable falls in the rate of infection.
• We must sort out our challenges in getting enough PPE to the peoplewho need it, and yes, it is a global problem, but we must fix it.
• And last, we must make sure that any measures we take do not force the reproduction rate of the disease – the R – back up over one, so that we have the kind of exponential growth we were facing a few weeks ago.


And to chart our progress and to avoid going back to square one, we are establishing a new Covid alert system run by a new Joint Biosecurity Centre.

And that Covid alert level will be determined primarily by R and the number of coronavirus cases. And in turn that Covid alert level will tell us how tough we have to be in our social distancing measures – the lower the level, the fewer the measures; the higher the level, the tougher and stricter we will have to be.

There will be five alert levels. Level one means the disease is no longer present in the UK and level five is the most critical – the kind of situation we could have had if the NHS had been overwhelmed.

Over the period of the lockdown, we have been in level four, and it is thanks to your sacrifice we are now in a position to begin to move in steps to level three.

And as we go, everyone will have a role to play in keeping the R down. By staying alert and following the rules. And to keep pushing the number of infections down, there are two more things we must do.

We must reverse rapidly the awful epidemics in care homes and in the NHS, and though the numbers are coming down sharply now, there is plainly much more to be done.

And if we are to control this virus, then we must have a world-beating system for testing potential victims, and for tracing their contacts. So that – all told – we are testing literally hundreds of thousands of people every day.

We have made fast progress on testing, but there is so much more to do now, and we can.

When this began, we hadn’t seen this disease before, and we didn’t fully understand its effects. With every day we are getting more and more data. We are shining the light of science on this invisible killer, and we will pick it up where it strikes, because our new system will be able in time to detect local flare-ups – in your area – as well as giving us a national picture.

And yet when I look at where we are tonight, we have the R below one, between 0.5 and 0.9 – but potentially only just below one. And though we have made progress in satisfying at least some of the conditions I have given, we have by no means fulfilled all of them.

And so no, this is not the time simply to end the lockdown this week. Instead we are taking the first careful steps to modify our measures.

And the first step is a change of emphasis that we hope that people will act on this week.

We said that you should work from home if you can, and only go to work if you must. We now need to stress that anyone who can’t work from home, for instance those in construction or manufacturing, should be actively encouraged to go to work.

And we want it to be safe for you to get to work. So you should avoid public transport if at all possible – because we must and will maintain social distancing, and capacity will therefore be limited. So work from home if you can, but you should go to work if you can’t work from home. And to ensure you are safe at work we have been working to establish new guidance for employers to make workplaces Covid-secure. And when you do go to work, if possible do so by car or even better by walking or bicycle. But just as with workplaces, public transport operators will also be following Covid-secure standards.

And from this Wednesday, we want to encourage people to take more and even unlimited amounts of outdoor exercise. You can sit in the sun in your local park, you can drive to other destinations, you can even play sports, but only with members of your own household.

You must obey the rules on social distancing and to enforce those rules we will increase the fines for the small minority who break them.

And so every day, with ever increasing data, we will be monitoring the R and the number of new infections, and the progress we are making, and if we as a nation begin to fulfil the conditions I have set out, then in the next few weeks and months we may be able to go further.

In step two – at the earliest by June 1 – after half term – we believe we may be in a position to begin the phased reopening of shops and to get primary pupils back into schools, in stages, beginning with reception, year 1 and year 6. Our ambition is that secondary pupils facing exams next year will get at least some time with their teachers before the holidays. And we will shortly be setting out detailed guidance on how to make it work in schools and shops and on transport.

And step three – at the earliest by July – and subject to all these conditions and further scientific advice: if and only if the numbers support it, we will hope to reopen at least some of the hospitality industry and other public places, provided they are safe and enforce social distancing.

Throughout this period of the next two months, we will be driven not by mere hope or economic necessity. We are going to be driven by the science, the data and public health.

And I must stress again that all of this is conditional – it all depends on a series of big ifs. It depends on all of us – the entire country – to follow the advice, to observe social distancing, and to keep that R down.

And to prevent reinfection from abroad, I am serving notice that it will soon be the time – with transmission significantly lower – to impose quarantine on people coming into this country by air. And it is because of your efforts to get the R down and the number of infections down here, that this measure will now be effective.

And of course we will be monitoring our progress locally, regionally, and nationally, and if there are outbreaks, if there are problems, we will not hesitate to put on the brakes.

We have been through the initial peak, but it is coming down the mountain that is often more dangerous. We have a route, and we have a plan, and everyone in government has the all-consuming pressure and challenge to save lives, restore livelihoods and gradually restore the freedoms that we need. But in the end this is a plan that everyone must make work. And when I look at what you have done already – the patience and common sense you have shown; the fortitude of the elderly whose isolation we all want to end as fast as we can; the incredible bravery and hard work of our NHS staff, our care workers; the devotion and self-sacrifice of all those in every walk of life who are helping us to beat this disease – police, bus drivers, train drivers, pharmacists, supermarket workers, road hauliers, bin collectors, cleaners, security guards, postal workers, our teachers and a thousand more; the scientists who are working round the clock to find a vaccine; when I think of the millions of everyday acts of kindness and thoughtfulness that are being performed across this country, and that have helped to get us through this first phase, I know that we can use this plan to get us through the next.

And if we can’t do it by those dates, and if the alert level won’t allow it, we will simply wait and go on until we have got it right.

We will come back from this devilish illness. We will come back to health, and robust health. And though the UK will be changed by this experience, I believe we can be stronger and better than ever before. More resilient, more innovative, more economically dynamic, but also more generous and more sharing.

But for now, we must stay alert, control the virus and save lives.

Thank you very much.

Mariann Edgar Budde: 'The President did not pray when he came to St John's', Remarks to CNN about Bible photo shoot - 2020

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde called into CNN to talk about Trump's photo op. Listen to this. pic.twitter.com/i2G0nS4Xxf

— John Whitehouse (@existentialfish) June 2, 2020

2 June 2020, Washington DC, USA

I want to thank you for allowing me on here, to be part of this conversation
Let me just be clear,
The president just used a bible, the most sacred text of the Judaea Christian tradition, in one of the churches of my diocese, without permission, as a backdrop to a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus, everything that our churches stand for.
And to do so, as you just said, he sanmctioned the use of tear gas by police officers in riot gear, to clear the church yard.
I am outraged.
The President did not pray when he came to St John’s.
Nor did he acknowledge the agony of our country right now.
And in particular, that of the people of colour in our nation, who wonder if anyone ever … if anyone in power will ever acknowledge their sacred work, and who are rightfully demanding an end to four hundred years of systemic racism and white supremacy in our nation.
And I just want the world to know, that we in the diocese of Washington, following Jesus and his way of love, do not … we distance ourselves from the incendiary language of this president.
We follow someone who lived a life of non violence and sacrificial love.
We align ourselves with those seeking justice for the death of George Floyd and countless others who died performing the sacred act of peaceful protest, and I just can’t believe what my eyes have seen tonight.

Bishop Budde later appeared on PBS to further explain her position.

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson: 'Where is he?' Remarks following death of George Floyd - 2020

Where are you?#normalizeequality#blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/Xid3BC4B2n

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 4, 2020

4 June 2020, Los Angeles, California, USA

Where are you? Where is our leader? Where are you? Where is our leader at this time? At this time, when our country is down on its knees, begging, pleading, hurt, angry, frustrated, in pain, begging and pleading with its arms out, just wanting to be heard. Begging and pleading and praying for change. Where are you? Where is our compassionate leader who’s going to step up to our country who’s down on its knees and extend a hand and say, “You stand up. Stand up with me. Stand up with me, because I got you. I got you. I got you, I hear you, I’m listening to you, and you have my word that I’m going to do everything in my power until my dying day, my last breath, to do everything I can, to create the change that is needed, to normalize equality because black lives matter.”

Where are you? It’s that same compassionate leader who has to come back and readdress the country to give important context, to give important perspective on the comments that were just made. Of course all lives matter. Every single one. All lives matter because we as Americans, we believe in inclusivity, we believe in acceptance, we believe in human rights, we believe in equality for all. That’s what we believe in. So of course all lives matter, but in this moment right now, this defining, pivotal, explosive moment where our country is down on its knees, the floorboards of our country are becoming unhinged in this moment, we must say the words, black lives matter.

Where are you? Where are you, because here’s what happens when you extend a hand and you reach out to Americans who are in pain, and they stand with you. They stand with you, here’s what happens, the country, the entire country, the entire country stands and rises as well. There is military force that has been deployed on our own people. Looters, yes. Criminals, absolutely. But our protesters, who are begging and pleading, our protesters, who are in pain? You would be surprised how people in pain would respond when you say to them, “I care about you.” When you say to them, “I’m listening to you.” You’d be surprised how people would respond, how Americans would respond if you say to them, “I care about you, I am listening to you, this is our country, you are all my people, and I take full responsibility and full accountability for something that has been hundreds of years of systemic disease. Why am I taking full accountability? Because I am your leader. I’m your leader and I’m going to do everything I can to make this right. I’ll tell you what, you give me some trust, you give me some time, you give me some effort, you give me some love. I’m right there with you and together, we’re going to make this right. Together we’re going to create that change. Together we’re going to normalize equality. We’re going to do it but we’re going to do it together.”

You’d be surprised how Americans and how human beings would respond. They would rise up with you. We would rise up with you. The world would rise up with you. I want to take a moment to thank the world. I want to take a moment right now to thank the world for standing up with us in our fight for equality, to normalize equality. I want to thank all these countries around the world, incredible, inspiring, beautiful displays of solidarity, and I want you to know something, and I feel confident speaking on behalf of your American brothers and sisters, us, through our fire, through our smoke, through our debris, through our noise and everything that we’re going through right now, because there’s a lot happening around us as we’re taking our lumps. Don’t think for a second that we don’t see you. We see you. We see you, we thank you, we love you.

Look, I am like the majority of Americans. I’m not a politician and I’ve never clearly been elected to office and I am not the President of the United States, but I am a man and I am a father who cares so deeply about my family, about my children and the world that they will live in. I care so deeply about our country and every single person in it. That’s who I am. I am a man who is frustrated, I am disappointed, I am angry, but I am also doing my best to stay focused and as calm as I can possibly be in the pocket to make the best decisions for my family and make the best decisions for our country. So as we continue to wait for that leader to emerge, as we continue to wait for that leader to emerge, I would recommend to all of you that we must become the leaders we’re looking for. We become our own leaders. Because we’re doing it now. We’re doing it now. We must become the leaders we are looking for.

I’ll ask it one more time. Where are you? Where is that compassionate leader who steps up and takes accountability for his country and all of the people in our country? Where are you? Because I’ll tell you what, we’re here. We’re all here. We are all here. We’re all here, and the process to change has already begun. The process to change has already begun, you can feel it. You can feel it, you can feel it, you can feel it across our country. Change is happening. It’s going to take time, we’re going to get beat up, we’re going to take our lumps, there’s going to be blood, but the process of change has already begun. You guys stay strong. We got this.

Where are you? Where is our leader? Where are you? Where is our leader at this time? At this time, when our country is down on its knees, begging, pleading, hurt, angry, frustrated, in pain, begging and pleading with its arms out, just wanting to be heard. Begging and pleading and praying for change. Where are you? Where is our compassionate leader who’s going to step up to our country who’s down on its knees and extend a hand and say, “You stand up. Stand up with me. Stand up with me, because I got you. I got you. I got you, I hear you, I’m listening to you, and you have my word that I’m going to do everything in my power until my dying day, my last breath, to do everything I can, to create the change that is needed, to normalize equality because black lives matter.”

Where are you? It’s that same compassionate leader who has to come back and readdress the country to give important context, to give important perspective on the comments that were just made. Of course all lives matter. Every single one. All lives matter because we as Americans, we believe in inclusivity, we believe in acceptance, we believe in human rights, we believe in equality for all. That’s what we believe in. So of course all lives matter, but in this moment right now, this defining, pivotal, explosive moment where our country is down on its knees, the floorboards of our country are becoming unhinged in this moment, we must say the words, black lives matter.

Where are you? Where are you, because here’s what happens when you extend a hand and you reach out to Americans who are in pain, and they stand with you. They stand with you, here’s what happens, the country, the entire country, the entire country stands and rises as well. There is military force that has been deployed on our own people. Looters, yes. Criminals, absolutely. But our protesters, who are begging and pleading, our protesters, who are in pain? You would be surprised how people in pain would respond when you say to them, “I care about you.” When you say to them, “I’m listening to you.” You’d be surprised how people would respond, how Americans would respond if you say to them, “I care about you, I am listening to you, this is our country, you are all my people, and I take full responsibility and full accountability for something that has been hundreds of years of systemic disease. Why am I taking full accountability? Because I am your leader. I’m your leader and I’m going to do everything I can to make this right. I’ll tell you what, you give me some trust, you give me some time, you give me some effort, you give me some love. I’m right there with you and together, we’re going to make this right. Together we’re going to create that change. Together we’re going to normalize equality. We’re going to do it but we’re going to do it together.”

You’d be surprised how Americans and how human beings would respond. They would rise up with you. We would rise up with you. The world would rise up with you. I want to take a moment to thank the world. I want to take a moment right now to thank the world for standing up with us in our fight for equality, to normalize equality. I want to thank all these countries around the world, incredible, inspiring, beautiful displays of solidarity, and I want you to know something, and I feel confident speaking on behalf of your American brothers and sisters, us, through our fire, through our smoke, through our debris, through our noise and everything that we’re going through right now, because there’s a lot happening around us as we’re taking our lumps. Don’t think for a second that we don’t see you. We see you. We see you, we thank you, we love you.

Look, I am like the majority of Americans. I’m not a politician and I’ve never clearly been elected to office and I am not the President of the United States, but I am a man and I am a father who cares so deeply about my family, about my children and the world that they will live in. I care so deeply about our country and every single person in it. That’s who I am. I am a man who is frustrated, I am disappointed, I am angry, but I am also doing my best to stay focused and as calm as I can possibly be in the pocket to make the best decisions for my family and make the best decisions for our country. So as we continue to wait for that leader to emerge, as we continue to wait for that leader to emerge, I would recommend to all of you that we must become the leaders we’re looking for. We become our own leaders. Because we’re doing it now. We’re doing it now. We must become the leaders we are looking for.

I’ll ask it one more time. Where are you? Where is that compassionate leader who steps up and takes accountability for his country and all of the people in our country? Where are you? Because I’ll tell you what, we’re here. We’re all here. We are all here. We’re all here, and the process to change has already begun. The process to change has already begun, you can feel it. You can feel it, you can feel it, you can feel it across our country. Change is happening. It’s going to take time, we’re going to get beat up, we’re going to take our lumps, there’s going to be blood, but the process of change has already begun. You guys stay strong. We got this.

Lee Hsien Loong: 'But we are not a people who will shrink from struggle.', May Day address on COVID-19 - 2020

30 April 2020, Singapore

Brothers and sisters from the Labour Movement

My fellow Singaporeans

This year, we mark May Day amidst difficult circumstances

Covid-19 update

The Covid-19 pandemic is still raging around the world. In Singapore, it is nearly a month since we imposed our circuit breaker. We are now down to about 10-15 new community cases daily. We have made significant progress, but we have more to do.

In the migrant worker dormitories, there are still many cases. Fortunately, most of them are mild, probably because the workers are young. Nevertheless, we are doing everything we can for their health and welfare. We have assigned medical teams from hospitals to provide support in the dorms.

The S11 dorm in Punggol is our biggest Covid-19 cluster. It is supported by Sengkang General Hospital (SKGH), our newest hospital. Some of the residents in S11 had in fact helped to build Sengkang Hospital. One worker who was hospitalised told his doctor that he had laid the tiles in the ward he was staying in. The Sengkang Hospital medical team were moved. They were happy to be able to give back directly to the workers.

May Day is a day of celebration for all workers, including migrant workers. I too send my thanks and good wishes to all migrant workers in Singapore, for what you have built and contributed here.

I know the circuit breaker period has been hard for everyone. The restrictions have disrupted businesses and jobs, and created considerable inconvenience. But you have been resilient, and you have taken this in your stride.

I am especially grateful to our brothers and sisters working in essential services, who have kept Singapore going. Our healthcare professionals, Home Team, SAF and Ministry of Manpower officers. Our public transport workers, security guards, cleaners, social service professionals, delivery riders and taxi drivers. Our teachers, who have worked hard to implement home-based learning, and preschool teachers too. All of you have made sacrifices and exceeded the call of duty. Your families too have stood by your side, supporting you. To all of you, I want to say a big thank you.

Overcoming the immediate crisis

The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the global economy. The IMF projects the steepest decline of global GDP since the Great Depression in the 1930s. As an open economy, Singapore has felt the full brunt of this downturn. Trade and investment, our lifeblood, have been disrupted. Without help, good companies, big and small, will go out of business, and many workers will lose their jobs.

Governments all over the world are spending large sums to prevent their economies from collapsing, and to take care of their peoples. The Singapore Government has done so too, through the Unity, Resilience, and Solidarity Budgets, S$60 billions all together. But unlike other governments, we will not have to borrow to do so. We are drawing on our national reserves, with the President’s permission. Our reserves are a blessing, for which we must thank our forefathers’ values, discipline and foresight. This crisis is indeed a reminder for us to be prudent and frugal, to build up our reserves in peacetime, so that in truly difficult times, we will have something extra to fall back on.

We have used the reserves to save jobs, reduce costs for companies, and tide Singaporeans over this crisis. We enhanced the Job Support Scheme in successive Budgets. For now, the Government is paying three-quarters of the first S$4,600 of wages in all sectors. This has enabled companies to retain their local employees. But businesses still have other costs to bear. And many workers will still see a pay cut, either because of lost overtime or direct wage reductions.

This is unavoidable.

But I encourage both employers and workers to take a longer-term view. Workers must accept wage sacrifices to keep businesses going. And employers must make every effort to keep their workers, and help them through this difficult period. They should not drop workers at the first sign of trouble. This way, workers will remember and return the kindness, serve loyally, and help their businesses survive. Companies will also be in a better position to rebuild, when the economy begins to recover.

Restarting the economy

After we bring down the number of new Covid-19 cases, we can ease the circuit breaker measures, and progressively restart our economy.

This will not be straightforward. We need to step up Covid-19 testing and speed up contact-tracing. And we must proceed cautiously, with safeguards, so infections do not flare up again.

We have kept essential services going. But the rest of the economy will have to open up step by step, and not all at once. Some industries will open up earlier than others, and recover sooner. For example, those critical to keeping our economy going domestically. And those that keep us connected to the world and to global supply chains. Other sectors will have to wait, especially those which attract crowds, or involve close contact with other people, such as entertainment outlets and large-scale sporting events.

We must keep all these industries intact, ready to resume business when conditions allow. This demands close cooperation between companies, workers and the government.

Most likely, tourism and aviation will take much longer to recover than other sectors, because international travel will remain restricted as long as Covid-19 is still a problem around the world. Air transport is fundamental to Singapore’s role as a global and regional hub. It is a strategic sector. This is why the government is providing extra support for aviation.

The Singapore Airlines (SIA) group has been severely hit. As our national carrier, SIA has supported our efforts to fight Covid-19. They help to fly in essential supplies. They have mounted evacuation flights to bring Singaporeans home. Their cabin crew are serving as care ambassadors in hospitals, and safe distancing ambassadors in trains, markets and malls. But like most other airlines, most SQ flights will remain grounded for some time. SIA management have taken pay cuts. The unions and the workers have accepted sacrifices too. All in SIA understand that the airline is facing its biggest crisis ever. They are all doing their part to help the company survive.

The government is determined that SIA will see through this crisis. SIA has always flown Singapore’s flag high all over the world, and made us proud. We will spare no effort to enable it to do so again.

Structural changes

In the longer term, Covid-19 will surely result in many changes to the global economy. The movement of goods and people will be less free. Countries will strive to rely less on imports for food and essential items like medicines and face masks. This will have major implications for global trade and investments, and thus for Singapore.

Significant structural changes to our economy are likely. Some industries will be disrupted permanently. Companies will have to change their business models to survive. Some jobs will simply disappear. Workers in these industries will have to reskill themselves, to take up jobs in new sectors. But there will also be new opportunities, and new jobs created too. For instance, during the circuit breaker, people have adjusted. We have learnt to telecommute, and work with others virtually. Students are getting used to online learning. And more people are buying things online, and making e-payments. We will not go back to status quo ante, after the circuit breaker ends. And that will mean opportunities in these new ways of doing things.

Other industries like medical services, biotech, food production and delivery, and IT – They are also growing. Even today, many of these firms are seeing stronger demand and hiring more people. We have capabilities in some of these new and growing sectors. Other industries will be new to us, and we will have to build up our expertise and workforce.

We will help companies adapt to this new operating environment, and retrain workers for the new jobs available. We will scale up SkillsFuture programmes to train workers on a large scale. NTUC has set up a Job Security Council to help match and train displaced workers for new job opportunities. We will also find ways to buffer freelancers in the gig economy against economic volatility. We will not be able to save every job. But we will look after every worker.

Singapore is not alone in having to adapt to the post-Covid-19 world. But our challenge is greater than most, because we are so small and globalised. However, these are also advantages. Our smallness lets us be nimble. And global connectivity means we can quickly identify new growth areas and move into them.

Most importantly, we have what it takes to succeed. We have experienced economic restructuring before, having done it more than once to get here. We have the resources to support businesses, invest in our workforce, and take care of our people. And we have our tripartite partnership, forged over the decades. Employers, the Labour Movement and NTUC, and the Government work closely together, in good times and bad. We are bound by ties of loyalty and trust, the comradeship of past battles fought and won together.

The tripartite partnership is one important example of how we work together as one nation, protect our vulnerable and leave no one behind. This is why when the virus started to spread in other countries, we brought overseas Singaporeans home. We did not leave them to fend for themselves. This is why we care for our migrant workers, who have done much for us, as we care for Singaporeans. This is why we have taken unprecedented steps to draw upon our reserves, in order to forestall retrenchments and support the low income.

Conclusion

The road to recovery will be long and hard.

We should be under no illusion that all will be well, the moment the circuit breaker period ends or the number of infections comes down.

But we are not a people who will shrink from struggle. It took us blood, sweat and tears to get here.

In the fight for independence, at moments of crisis, the Pioneer Generation showed their grit and mettle. They decided to give it their all, to secure a future for themselves and their children. The Merdeka Generation worked with them, and took us from Third World to First. Because they braved the odds, and prevailed, we have today’s Singapore

Covid-19 is this generation’s challenge. The virus is a tough enemy – invisible, but formidable. It is now our turn to prove that we are worthy of our forebears, and up to the challenge before us. I have every confidence that we will prove more than equal to the task.

I wish all Singaporeans a healthy and happy May Day!

George W. Bush 'We rise or fall together and we are determined to rise', Message of Hope: 2020

2 May 2020, Texas, USA

Released by George W Bush Presidential Library

This is a challenging and solemn time in the life of our nation and world. A remorseless invisible enemy threatens the elderly and vulnerable among us, a disease that can quickly take breath and life. Medical professionals are risking their own health for the health of others, and we’re deeply grateful. Officials at every level are setting out the requirements of public health that protect us all, and we all need to do our part.

The disease also threatens broader damage, harm to our sense of safety, security and community. The larger challenge we share is to confront an outbreak of fear and loneliness, and it is frustrating that many of the normal tools of compassion, a hug, a touch, can bring the opposite of the good we intend. In this case, we serve our neighbor by separating from them. We cannot allow physical separation to become emotional isolation. This requires us to be not only compassionate, but creative in our outreach, and people across the nation are using the tools of technology in the cause of solidarity.

In this type of testing we need to remember a few things. First, let us remember we have faced times of testing before. Following 9-11 I saw a great nation rise as one to honor the brave, to grieve with the grieving and to embrace unavoidable new duties, and I have no doubt, none at all, that this spirit of service and sacrifice is alive and well in America. Second, let us remember that empathy and simple kindness are essential powerful tools of national recovery. Even at an appropriate social distance, we can find ways to be present in the lives of others, to ease their anxiety and share their burdens. Third, let’s remember that the suffering we experience as a nation does not fall evenly. In the days to come it will be especially important to care in practical ways for the elderly, the ill and the unemployed. Finally, let us remember how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat. In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants, we are human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God. We rise or fall together and we are determined to rise. God bless you all.

Andrew Cuomo: 'Were we foolish for relying on your projections, Mr President?', Response to Trump Criticism - 2020

19 April 2020, New York, USA

Reporter:
I also wanted to get your response. It looks like the president is also watching this press conference. He tweeted 13 minutes ago, quote: “Governor Cuomo should spend more time doing and less time complaining. Get out there and get the job done. Stop talking. We built you thousands of hospital beds that you didn’t need or use, gave large numbers of ventilators that you should have had and helped you with testing that you should be doing.” It goes on a little bit more. Wondering if you could respond to that and then also the question about the overwhelmed ICU?

Gov. Andrew Cuomo:
Good. Good. Let’s respond to the president.

First of all, if he’s sitting home watching TV, maybe he should get up and go to work, right? Second, let’s keep a motion and politics out of this and personal ego, if we can, because this is about the people and it’s about our job. Let’s try to focus on that.

I have said repeatedly that when we were fighting for the additional capacity for a hospital system that the president moved very quickly. I applauded him for it. He brought the Army Corps of Engineers. He brought them up to build the Javits Center capacity, 2,500 beds. He’s wrong that it hasn’t been used, about 800 people have gone through Javits. To dismiss 800 people is disrespectful. But we didn’t use 2,500 beds because we didn’t reach the capacity. When he says, “Well, we built it, we didn’t need it.” It sounds like a suggestion is, well, it was a request by the state that wasn’t valid. If he didn’t really believe 2,500 beds was necessary, I don’t believe the federal government would’ve helped build 2,500 beds. The number came from a projection from him. Him. See, he should read the reports he issues.

The White House Coronavirus Task force had enormous, projected in the millions of people. The CDC, which is the president, projected in the millions of people. The projections were high. They were the president’s projections. For him to say to anyone, “Well you relied on projections and the projections were wrong,” they’re your projections, Mr. President. Were we foolish for relying on your projections, Mr. President? CDC, Coronavirus White House Task Force, that’s you. White House. That’s you. We relied on your projections. Okay, shouldn’t have relied on your projections. Actually, I think the President has a better argument, which is, yes, we built 2,500 beds because the projections said it could get that bad and because we work together, we flattened the curve and we didn’t hit the projection, which is actually what happened. But don’t suggest that anyone made a mistake relying on your projections or on Cornell, Columbia, McKinsey, et cetera.

Second, I have said a number of times, I don’t know what am I supposed to do? Send a bouquet of flowers. They were very helpful on Javits. They were very helpful on sending the US Navy Ship Comfort. They were very helpful in intervening with China and getting PPE equipment out of China. They were very helpful in helping us find ventilators. I said, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Now, going forward, we’re still in the midst of it. The president doesn’t want to help on testing. I said the one issue we need help with it is testing. He said 11 times, “I don’t want to get involved in testing. It’s too complicated. It’s too hard.” I know it’s too complicated and it’s too hard. That’s why we need you to help. I can’t do an international supply chain. He wants to say, “Well, I did enough.” Yeah, none of us have done enough. We haven’t, because it’s not over.

Yes, thank you for the Javits. Thank you for the US Navy Ship Comfort. But it’s not over. We have a lot more to do. No one can take the posture, “Well, just say thank you for what I’ve done and I’m now out. I’m not doing anything else. I’ve done my part.”

What if I said to the people of my state, “Okay, I’m done. By the way, I saved hundreds of thousands of lives. I flattened the curve. I created more hospital beds than anyone ever imagined. I coordinated the entire state. I’m done. I’m done. I’m going home. I’m going to go see my mother. I’m going to go spend time with my kids. I’m going to go out fishing in Connecticut because their marinas are open. That’s it. I’m done.” What if I said that? That’s what he’s saying. “I’m done. I don’t want to help on testing. Testing is too hard.”

Then the only thing he’s doing, let’s be honest, “Well, it’s up to the states to do reopen. By the way, it was always up to the states. What are you going to grant me what the Constitution gave me before you were born? It’s called the 10th Amendment. I didn’t need the President of the United States to tell me that I’m governor. I didn’t need the President of the United States to tell me the powers of a state. People did that-

The powers of a state. People did that. Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison. They are the ones who gave me the power and I don’t need the President of the United States to read the constitution for me. Maybe he should have read the constitution before he said he had the power to open the states. Where he did a very graceful 180 and many people allowed him to do the graceful 180. But so he now says it’s up to the governors which he said repeatedly now, yesterday, version of yesterday. And now it’s up to the governors to reopen. Okay, I’m going to reopen. I get it. And you don’t want to help on testing, which is a national problem and replicates the same chaos that you created with medical supplies because FEMA wasn’t ready. By the way, I needed a stockpile. Where was your stockpile? 10,000 ventilators for the nation?

That was your stockpile? Were your projections, the federal projections, said they would need double the hospital capacity of this nation. Think about that. The CDC says double the hospital capacity of the nation. The minimum projection was 2.4 million hospital beds. You know how many hospital beds we have in this nation? 900,000. His projection says 2.4 million hospital beds. The whole hospital system is only 900 and his stockpile has 10,000 ventilators. You were ready with your stockpile, didn’t you read your own CDC projection? Didn’t you read your own Coronavirus protection?

So, thank you again Mr. President for the Javits. Thank you for the US Navy ship Comfort, which by the way, it’s just doing your job as president. It’s not really thank you like you wrote a check yourself, but thank you for that. We’re not out of the woods. We have to go forward. We need help on testing and we need funding. It’s up to the governors. It’s up to the states. Well then, provide the funding. No, they only want to pass a bill that funds their Small Business Fund called PPE. Their Small Business Program. We need to fund the Small Business Program. But, you’re going to say after just saying this monumental task is up to the individual governors and the individual states, I’m providing no help, no assistance, no financial money. I understand that small businesses need the funding. By the way, I know that airlines need a bailout, but not the states. Why don’t you show as much consideration to states as you did to your big businesses and to your airlines? Right?

Queen Elizabeth II: 'We will succeed, and that success will belong to every one of us', COVID-19 Address to the Nation- 2020

6 April 2020, Windsor, United Kingdom

I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all.

I want to thank everyone on the NHS front line, as well as care workers and those carrying out essential roles, who selflessly continue their day-to-day duties outside the home in support of us all. I am sure the nation will join me in assuring you that what you do is appreciated and every hour of your hard work brings us closer to a return to more normal times.

I also want to thank those of you who are staying at home, thereby helping to protect the vulnerable and sparing many families the pain already felt by those who have lost loved ones. Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.

I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country. The pride in who we are is not a part of our past, it defines our present and our future.

The moments when the United Kingdom has come together to applaud its care and essential workers will be remembered as an expression of our national spirit; and its symbol will be the rainbows drawn by children.

Across the Commonwealth and around the world, we have seen heart-warming stories of people coming together to help others, be it through delivering food parcels and medicines, checking on neighbours, or converting businesses to help the relief effort.

And though self-isolating may at times be hard, many people of all faiths, and of none, are discovering that it presents an opportunity to slow down, pause and reflect, in prayer or meditation.

It reminds me of the very first broadcast I made, in 1940, helped by my sister. We, as children, spoke from here at Windsor to children who had been evacuated from their homes and sent away for their own safety. Today, once again, many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones. But now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do.

While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us.

We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.

But for now, I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all.

Boris Johnson: 'We will beat the coronavirus and we will beat it together', COVID-19 address to nation - 2020

23 March 2020, London, United Kingdom

Good Evening,

The coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced for decades – and this country is not alone.

All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer.

And so tonight I want to update you on the latest steps we are taking to fight the disease and what you can do to help.

And I want to begin by reminding you why the UK has been taking the approach that we have.

Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses.

And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger.

To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it - meaning more people are likely to die, not just from Coronavirus but from other illnesses as well.

So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease.

Because that is the way we reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment at any one time, so we can protect the NHS’s ability to cope - and save more lives.

And that’s why we have been asking people to stay at home during this pandemic.

And though huge numbers are complying - and I thank you all - the time has now come for us all to do more.

From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home.

Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households.

That is why people will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes:

shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
one form of exercise a day - for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household;
any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person; and
travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home.

That’s all - these are the only reasons you should leave your home.

You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No.

You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home.

You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine - and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can.

If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.

To ensure compliance with the Government’s instruction to stay at home, we will immediately:

close all shops selling non-essential goods,​ including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship;
we will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with;
and we’ll stop all social events​, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals.

Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed.

No Prime Minister wants to enact measures like this.

I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people’s lives, to their businesses and to their jobs.

And that’s why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business.

And I can assure you that we will keep these restrictions under constant review. We will look again in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows we are able to.

But at present there are just no easy options. The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost.

And yet it is also true that there is a clear way through.

Day by day we are strengthening our amazing NHS with 7500 former clinicians now coming back to the service.

With the time you buy - by simply staying at home - we are increasing our stocks of equipment.

We are accelerating our search for treatments.

We are pioneering work on a vaccine.

And we are buying millions of testing kits that will enable us to turn the tide on this invisible killer.

I want to thank everyone who is working flat out to beat the virus.

Everyone from the supermarket staff to the transport workers to the carers to the nurses and doctors on the frontline.

But in this fight we can be in no doubt that each and every one of us is directly enlisted.

Each and every one of us is now obliged to join together.

To halt the spread of this disease.

To protect our NHS and to save many many thousands of lives.

And I know that as they have in the past so many times.

The people of this country will rise to that challenge.

And we will come through it stronger than ever.

We will beat the coronavirus and we will beat it together.

And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.

Thank you.

Scott Morrison: 'Our goal is to get through this together', Address to nation on covid-19 -2020

24 March 2020, Canberra, Australia

View video here

I said in the Parliament that 2020, for most Australians, was going to be their toughest year. And what we have seen unfold just this week has been demonstrating just that.

Australians who have lost their jobs, lost hours of work, businesses that have been forced to close their business — these are heartbreaking events in our nation's history and story.

And I want to assure all Australians the National Cabinet has been meeting, and state governments also, and we've considered the many, many difficult issues we're having to address. We are not unconscious of the real impacts that these measures are having on the daily lives of Australians and so we will continue to do everything we can, both as a federal government and as state and territory governments around the country, to do all we can to support our people through what is going to be an incredibly difficult time.

The queues that we saw outside Centrelink, the challenges and frustrations people have had in gaining access is a sheer function of the extraordinary and overwhelming demand, and we will work night and day to ensure that we can get more capacity into these systems. But what this reflects is the size of the need and the size of that need is demonstrated by the impacts of what the coronavirus and the many things that governments are having to do to limit its health impacts across the country and to ensure that we can protect the lives of Australians.

But our goal is to get through this together and by following common sense rules, and doing the right thing, that's how we slow the spread of this virus and that's how we save lives.

It also means that when we all do that, that we can potentially limit further economic harm from other measures. Not all states, I want to stress, are in the same position. Some states, particularly in New South Wales and Victoria, are far more advanced on the progression of this virus than other states and territories. But tonight, despite the variations that do exist, there is a strong will for states and territories to seek to move together wherever they possibly can to ensure a consistency of application of the various rules and arrangements that we are putting in place across the country.

Tonight, we agreed to extend the restrictions that were announced on Sunday night, but to do so in a manner that was consistent with the types of measures that we announced on Sunday night. What I mean by that is there was an initial list of activities that largely went to the issues of social gatherings, particularly in enclosed spaces, that was being done to restrict the amount of contact between people outside activities such as going to work and things of that nature. And so tonight, we worked to complete that list of those types of activities that we believe are appropriate at this time to slow the spread of the virus to ensure that we are covering all the necessary activities and business functions inside premises that should be considered at this time.

And so, from midnight tomorrow night, all of these following activities, and they include some I have already announced from earlier, will no longer be taking place. Cafes, I have already said, but for takeaway, that will continue. So, no change to the issues around cafes. Food courts and* shopping centres will not be allowed to continue. But getting takeaway from those food outlets in those shopping centres, that can continue because take away is able to be done.

In the retail space, auction houses, gatherings together in auction rooms, that can no longer continue. Real estate auctions and open house inspections, in particular open house inspections — that cannot continue.

Outdoor and indoor markets, excluding food markets like Flemington and things like, because that is essential to ensure the food supply right across the country, they will be addressed specifically by states and territories in each of their jurisdictions. States and territories have very different arrangements in terms of the types of markets they have and they'll be making those decisions specific to their states and territories, but the point and the principle is very clear — large gatherings brought together by particular organised events are things we have seeking to avoid. And that is the principle the states and territories will be seeking to follow.

In terms of personal services, where there is a lot of contact obviously between those providing that service in a premise, and the patrons, the following now won't be able to continue: Beauty therapy, tanning, waxing, nail salons and tattoo parlours and same for spa and massage parlours. That excludes health-related services in those areas, physiotherapists, things of that nature, health related and allied health services. Hairdressers and barber shops will continue to be able to provide those services but it is very important that they strictly manage the social-distancing and limitations of the number of people in their premise, so that's four square metres per person. And on top of that, to restrict the amount of time a patron is in the premise to no more than 30 minutes. And preferably less.

Cinemas, nightclubs, casinos, gaming or gambling venues, all of those were included in the announcement on Sunday, as were adult entertainment venues, concert venues, theatres, arenas, auditoriums, stadiums, they are all included in what we said on Sunday evening.
Coronavirus update: Follow all the latest news in our daily wrap

Amusement parks and arcades are now included. Play centres, both indoor and outdoor, are also now included.

Community and recreation centres, health clubs, fitness centres, yoga, barre — I hope I pronounced that correctly, I might need some help with that, I'm not quite sure what that is to be honest — but B-A-R-R-E, for those looking for the specific definition, and spin facilities, saunas, bath houses, wellness centres. Boot camps and personal training is limited to a maximum of 10 people. And the social-distancing arrangements must be strictly enforced.

Social, sporting based activities, swimming pools. Now, I'll come back to the social and sporting-based activities in a second to explain what we mean by that. That's large groups of people gathering together to play soccer in a community oval and things of that nature. You can see what we're trying to do, we're trying to limit the gathering of people in large numbers that can relate to the transmitting of the virus through those social interactions which are not considered necessary.

Galleries, museums, national institutions, historic sites, libraries, community centres, youth centres, local government non-essential facilities, libraries and swimming pools. Community facilities such as community halls, RSLs, PCYCs. Many of those were already included in what I said on Sunday night and of course, places of worship. In places of worship and other similar type venues there has been a very difficult decision we've had to make tonight in relation to weddings and in relation to funerals.

Now, weddings can continue to be conducted where it is just the couple, the celebrant and the witnesses. That's no more than five people and the four square metre rule has to be observed within the venue in which that is taking place. But, large gatherings for weddings, sadly, won't be possible under these new arrangements. And sadly, also, and I know this will be very difficult, funerals to no more than 10 persons observing the rules around the four square metre rule and the social-distancing practices. Particularly on these types of activities this is not an easy decision. Where we have already found, and Dr Murphy can speak to this, some of the events that have been some of the major transmitting events, it has been exactly these types of events, particularly weddings. And that is why, regretfully, we have to be able to put these arrangements in place. Now, these are the rules and arrangements that are applied when it comes to the strict enforcement of these arrangements and that will come in from midnight tomorrow night and states and territories will be moving tomorrow to put those arrangements in place.

Now, there are some also very important further rules that we want people to follow, just like the 1.5-metre rule. Just like washing your hands and coughing into your elbow. And doing those straight-forward things.

That is, to stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary that you go out.

Going out for the basics, going out for exercise, perhaps with your partner or family members, provided it's a small group, that's fine. But going outside and going out and participating more broadly in the community unless you're shopping for basics or there are medical needs or you're providing care or support to another individual at another place. Going to work and where you cannot work from home. That is encouraged. Strongly encouraged to work from home where you can do that.

Visits to your premises, to your house, to your residence, should be kept to a minimum and with very small numbers of guests. We don't want to be overly specific about that, we want Australians to exercise their common sense. So that means barbecues of lots of friends, or even family, extended family, coming together to celebrate one-year-old birthday parties and all these sorts of things, we can't do those things now. These will be significant sacrifices, I know. We've all been to those events as extended families and gatherings. And gathering together in that way, even around the large family table in the family home when all the siblings get together and bring the kids, these are not things we can do now.

All of these things present risks and they obviously present them to the elderly members of our families as well, who we need to protect.

House parties where someone wants to now have the social events, not at clubs and venues like that but to organise a party at someone's home, the states and territories will be particularly looking at that one and be considering whether they will put specific measures in place that could lead to that being an offence for those who have organised those types of events.

Outdoors, do not congregate together in groups. Now, the medical experts panel have made suggestions about how that can be managed. It's very difficult to put a number on it. But the point about it is this: If you're gathering together in a group, say 10 people, together, outside in a group, that's not OK.

We've got to move people on. It's not a hard and fast rule. I say it only for illustrative purposes. The point is that you should only be going outside of your home to go to those essential things that I talked about, not to go and congregate together in groups. We need you to stop doing that. That is not going to help.

If we do all these things then we are going to be able to put greater pressure on slowing the rate of the spread of this virus, which in particular in New South Wales and Victoria has been growing at a much more rapid rate than other places, and the numbers in Queensland have been similarly affected.

Now on schools, the medical advice on schools has not changed. It is safe to send your children to school.

Tomorrow, I'll be meeting — and there has been discussions today between the Education Minister, Dan Tehan, and the education national unions, and I will be meeting with them tomorrow to discuss a set of arrangements that we would like to proceed with, that importantly keep schools open, that also will protect those teachers and other staff who are working in schools and to work through those issues to ensure we can put acceptable arrangements in place to ensure that children get taught.

I said this the other day: This is incredibly important. It's going to be a tough year in 2020 and one of the things I don't want to have yielded up is a year of a child's education, which is so important. We need to work so hard together to try and ensure that those kids get that education and that is not lost to this virus. So, I look forward to meeting with Australian Education Union tomorrow and to have that conversation and to see how we can come together and agree how we can continue to deliver that while doing that safely for those who work in schools and, of course, for the kids themselves. As we know, the medical advice is kids can safely go to schools. Under the arrangements we have already put in place we have seen the number of students attending schools reduce significantly. That actually assists in observing the other issues around social distancing that are applying more broadly across the community. So we can do this. We can work this out. That would mean ensuring the schools in those states that haven't already ended the term, which is only Victoria, that we would be able to continue to keep those schools open up to the end of the term, but I would anticipate that for several days prior to the end of the term there will need to be pupil-free days while the teachers and the school staff work on the projects they have already been pursuing on extending distance learning.

That will be an important job for those educators to be learning as we go into the term break. Schools, we agree, across the country, would need to reopen on the other side of the term break because it won't be a holiday. It won't be a school holiday given the arrangements I have just outlined to you. They will reconvene after the term break and there will be a mixture of both distance learning and where parents choose to keep their children at home, then there will be the learning that is there for them to undertake and the parents would be needing to take responsibility for ensuring that their children are engaged in that.

For all those workers who need to send their children to school, that's why the school needs to remain open. Now if you ask me who is an essential worker? Someone who has a job. Everyone who has a job in this economy is an essential worker. Every single job that is being done in our economy with these severe restrictions that are taking place is essential. It can be essential in a service whether it's a nurse or a doctor or a schoolteacher, or a public servant who is working tonight to ensure that we can get even greater capacity in our Centrelink offices, working until eight o'clock under the new arrangement in the call centres, these are all essential jobs. People are stacking shelves, that is essential. People earning money in their family when another member of their family may have lost their job and can no longer earn, that's an essential job. Jobs are essential. And everyone who has one needs to be able to keep doing their job and that means they will need to continue to be able to send their children to school for an education, for an education at that school.

So, I look forward to having those discussions tomorrow and I'm sure there will be a common sense of purpose in ensuring that we can meet the objectives and keep the nation functioning and providing the necessary education for children, the protection that is necessary for staff and to keep Australia running.

Now, before I go to Professor Murphy, there are one or two other things I had to mention. The national security task force that works on the coronavirus also met this evening. We have previously had a do-not-travel warning on Smart Traveller in terms of all overseas travel, that will turn into a ban. Using the biosecurity powers that were afforded to us by the Governor-General through the Minister for Health, now, the numbers of Australians going overseas has reduced dramatically. There will be exceptions to these rules which will be set out in the directive that will be provided. But this would include people involved in aid work in the Pacific and the support that we're providing. It may involve compassionate travel and essential travel for employment, things of that nature. The number of people and the number who are leaving Australia now is very, very low. But, still, it strikes me on those numbers that there are people defying that device and still looking to go overseas on leisure travel. They can't do it because when they come home they put Australians at risk. I had hoped that that would have been fully complied with and I've got to say Australians have been pretty good about it but we need to put that arrangement in place.

Also, we are putting in place arrangements that will make it an offence and we'll be able to seize at the border those who have engaged in profiteering by bringing together and making large purchases of various supplies in Australia and seeking to export them overseas. Now, it doesn't relate to normal commercial legal activities, but we have been able to seize at the border, and the Minister for Home Affairs can speak more to this, quantities of materials that were seeking to be sent overseas and that is not helping Australia. That is not consistent with doing the right thing and there will be penalties and enforcement and we will be able to seize that equipment. That could include medical supplies and include personal protective equipment, and that will be seized and redeployed to its best use here in Australia.

So with those changes, there was still a lot more we needed to deal with tonight, but we knew we needed to report tonight and the National Cabinet will meet again tomorrow evening at the same time to work through a series of other issues which includes further considering possible measures down the track. So, we're well prepared should we have to move to that stage and the thresholds that would be necessary to move to those other arrangements. It will also consider the issue of leases, that I flagged earlier, that will be considered. And there will be other matters that have been raised by Premiers and Chief Ministers that we'll address as we go forward as well. I apologise for the length. It has been a busy night and hopefully that's been very clear.