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Singapore to charge covid patients who are ‘unvaccinated by choice’

Published 12:18 9 Nov 2021 GMT

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Singapore has recently seen a surge of cases

Singapore will no longer pay covid-related medical bills for people "unvaccinated by choice", the government has declared in a bid to control the pandemic's grip on the country. From Wednesday December 8, Singapore's government said it will "begin charging covid-19 patients who are unvaccinated by choice", reports the Guardian. https://twitter.com/RMCarpiano/status/1458019313017921539 They said that unvaccinated citizens "make up a sizeable majority of those who require intensive in-patient care and disproportionately contribute to the strain on our healthcare resources". The government will still pay the bills for those unable to get the vaccine and will continue funding treatment for those who have had one jab until Friday December 31. This comes amid fears that the country is being "overwhelmed" by surging cases despite 85 per cent of its population being able to take the vaccine. https://twitter.com/nesto_92/status/1457903755077328901 In other covid news, our prime minister was pictured without a mask while visiting a hospital in what people claim was his blatant attempt to avoid corruption discussions in Parliament. Though Conservatives have largely closed ranks around the PM, with Deputy PM Dominic Raab stuttering around an explanation on BBC Breakfast, Johnson has received immense criticism online. Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner tweeted: "When his friend got found guilty of corruption @BorisJohnson flew back from a climate change conference on a private jet for a crisis meeting at an all male members' club.

Read the full story here: Boris Johnson seen maskless in hospital despite MP cases rising

"Today he is running scared from an emergency debate in Parliament on corruption and standards in politics." https://twitter.com/AngelaRayner/status/1457756609703198724 Labour MP for Leicester South Jonathan Ashworth said: "So not only is Boris Johnson too cowardly to turn up to Parliament to defend the sleazy corrupt government shenanigans of recent days. He’s now irresponsibly parading round a hospital without a mask. Patients and NHS staff deserve better than this."