BlueOceanPest

BBC.COM NEWS.

The worst could be still to come in the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, six months on from when the outbreak began.

WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the virus would infect many more people if governments did not start to implement the right policies.

His message remained “Test, Trace, Isolate and Quarantine”, he said.

More than 10m cases have been recorded worldwide since coronavirus emerged in China late last year.

The number of patients who died is now above 500,000. Half the world’s cases have been in the US and Europe but Covid-19 is rapidly growing in the Americas.

The virus is also affecting South Asia and Africa, where it is not expected to peak until the end of July.

• Where are coronavirus cases rising and falling?
• Is Trump right to say US does ‘the greatest testing’?

Dr Tedros told a virtual briefing on Monday: “We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is this is not even close to being over.

“Although many countries have made some progress, globally the pandemic is actually speeding up.”

“With 10 million cases now and half a million deaths, unless we address the problems we’ve already identified at WHO, the lack of national unity and lack of global solidarity and the divided world which is actually helping the virus to spread… the worst is yet to come,” he said.

“I’m sorry to say that, but with this kind of environment and conditions we fear the worst.”

He also urged more governments to follow the examples of Germany, South Korea and Japan, which kept their outbreak in check through policies that included rigorous testing and tracing.

What are the worst-affected countries?

The US has reported more than 2.5 million cases and about 126,000 deaths with Covid-19 so far – more than any other nation.

US states that emerged from lockdown in recent weeks – notably in the south – have been reporting sharp increases in new infections in recent weeks.

The spike has led officials in Texas, Florida and other states to tighten restrictions on business again.

The country with the second-highest number of recorded cases is Brazil, with a total of 1.3 million, and deaths in excess of 57,000.

On Monday a state of emergency was declared in the capital Brasilia, following a surge there.

Like most Brazilian governors and mayors, the local authorities in Brasilia eased social distancing restrictions earlier this month and allowed shops to reopen

In the UK – the country with the greatest number of deaths in Western Europe – the mayor of Leicester said pubs and restaurants might stay closed for two more weeks due to a spike in cases.

Restrictions in the rest of England are due to be eased at the weekend, with pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and hotels allowed to reopen.

Source:https://www.bbc.com/news/world-53227219?

https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1191689.shtml

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/09/harvard-psychology-researcher-biggest-traits-of-emotional-intelligence-do-you-have-them.html

Making mistakes is part of the learning process. Recognising them is the first
important step. Madness has been described as continuing to do the same thing
whilst desiring a different result. This is like running an advert week after week in
your local publication that never provides a response or reaction and doing
nothing about it, whilst at the same time hoping to get a result. There are many
examples like this and we are probably all guilty of some of them.

Use the following set of indicators to raise your own awareness of the mistakes you
may be making.

-No plan – haphazard activities
-Too busy doing business to consider how to develop business
-Jumping from one failed idea to another without stopping to think
-Your marketing plan on a ‘post it’ note or in your head
-Untargeted attempts to generate sales
-Not really knowing what works and what doesn’t to make informed decisions
-Trying to do too much too quickly and making mistakes
-Wasting money, time and effort repeating what doesn’t work
-Poor decisions about what to invest in – believing the sales person
-Letting fear paralyse the taking of positive action
-Mixed messages with no coherent theme
-Over complicating marketing activities and messages
-Working very hard but not getting results that match the effort
-Making excuses – I haven’t got time to market my business
-Thinking that marketing is complicated – and avoiding doing it
-Relying on only one or two methods of generating business
-Suffering from feast and famine revenue cycles
-Keeping poor records of important prospects and customers
-Not really being able to explain why someone should buy from you
-Hoping and praying that business will come to you – but not taking action

Note: Credit to Jackie Jarvis:85 Inspiring Ways To Market Your Small Business

Projections of a ‘long dance’ with COVID-19 post-MCO necessitate a ‘whole of Malaysia’ team effort to sustain public health interventions to stem the epidemic. The KRI discussion paper makes plausible projections for dealing with the ‘dance’ phase of COVID-19 post-MCO…

Source: Dancing with COVID-19: Public Health Precautions Beyond the Movement Control Order

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Di zaman Covid-19 yang makin mengganas ni, semua tempat dan benda kalau boleh kita akan bersihkan(sanitise) termasuklah didalam kereta kita. Persoalannya adakah selamat sekiranya kita membuat semburan nyahcemar didalm kereta kita?. Jom kita lihat apa kata pakar permotoran berkenaan dengan norma baru kehidupan hari ini.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention di Amerika Syarikat mencadangkan agar kita memakai sarung tangan pakai buang ketika kerja disinfeksi dijalankan. Sekiranya permukaan didapati kotor, penggunaan sabun dan air sebelum kerja disinfeksi adalah perlu.

Apa kata Nissan?. Nissan cadangkan kita menggunakan kain lap microfiber yang lembut dilembabkan dengan air dan sabun sebagai ejen disinfeksi.

Elak Penggunaan Cecair Pencuci.

Pengeluar kereta memberi amaran bahawa tidak semua bahan pencuci yang ada dipasaran boleh digunakan didalam kenderaan. Ini termasuklah bleach, hydrogen peroxide, benzene, thinners atau bahan pencuci lain yang bersifat kasar.

Bahan pencuci ini boleh merosakkan pelapik atau upholstery dan permukaan dalaman kereta anda. Sebaliknya kita dicadangkan untuk lap permukaan dalaman kereta dengan alcohol-based wipes atau semburan bahan sanitasi yang mengandungi 70% alcohol sebagaimana dicadangkan oleh pakar perubatan.

Bagaimana Untuk Bersihkan Head Unit, Permukaan Sesentuh.

Ini bahagian yang paling menakutkan. Head Unit (HU) merupakan pusat infotainment disamping pelbagai tetapan kereta anda bermula disini. Disebabkan sifatnya yang sangat sensitif dengan sentuhan, penggunaan bahan pencuci yang agresif boleh menjahanamkan permukaan sekaligus memberi kesan kepada fungsi tetapan yang lain.

Kita hanya perlu menggunakan kain lembut yang dilembabkan dengan air sabun. Lapkan secara lembut kemudian keringkan dengan kain lembut yang baru. Bahan pencuci yang berasaskan ammonia tidak sepatutnya digunakan kerana ia akan merosakkan anti-glare dan anti-fingerprint coating. Kalau rosak, menyesal tuan tuan.

Menurut pakar di Nissan, senarai semak dibawah merupakan bahagian dalam kenderaan yang penting untuk kita disinfect.

Bahagian Kenderaan Yang Perlu Dijalankan Disifeksi:

• Steering wheel
• Key and remote fob
• Start button (if applicable)
• Exterior door handles, both sides
• Boot lid grab areas
• Interior door pulls, both sides and interior door panels
• Rear view mirror, back and edges
• Aircon vents
• Gear lever
• Indicator lever
• Windscreen wiper controls
• Centre console knobs and arm rest
• Parking brake handle / release lever
• Seat belt and buckle (avoid harsh cleaners on the belt itself, as they can degrade the fibres and the belt’s strength)

Berikut merupakan infografik yang memudahkan kita memmahami konsep disinfeksi didalam kenderaan.

Covid-19 sememangnya musuh tersembunyi yang paling mudah berjangkit. Memastikan dalaman kereta kita sentiasa bersih dan disanitasi/nyahcemar dengan kerap boleh membantu kita terhindar dari menjadi mangsa covid-19.

Semoga bermanfaat untuk semua.

Nota: Diolah dari:

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry-news/the-dos-and-donts-of-disinfecting-your-car-47723417

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry-news/the-dos-and-donts-of-disinfecting-your-car-47723417

Sri Ayu Kartika Amrikartika@hmetro.com.my

PEMBAYARAN gaji pekerja dan ketiadaan pelanggan, mendominasi isu dan cabaran yang dihadapi oleh syarikat serta firma perniagaan sepanjang tempoh Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP).

Ketua Perangkawan, Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin berkata, penilaian itu diperoleh menerusi  4,094 responden yang menyertai Tinjauan Khas Kesan Covid-19 Kepada Syarikat atau Firma Perniagaan (Pusingan 1) yang dilaksanakan Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia (DOSM) secara dalam talian bermula 10 April hingga 1 Mei lalu.

“Berdasarkan tinjauan, 88.8 peratus syarikat sendirian berhad menghadapi isu dan cabaran dalam pembayaran gaji pekerja, diikuti ketiadaan pelanggan (63.2 peratus).

“Sebaliknya, (perniagaan) hak milik perseorangan pula menyatakan cabaran utama adalah ketiadaan pelanggan iaitu 70.7 peratus dan diikuti pembayaran gaji pekerja (62.5 peratus),” katanya menerusi satu kenyataan.

Mohd Uzir berkata, 53.4 peratus syarikat hanya mampu bertahan satu hingga dua bulan saja, sekiranya memberi kemudahan cuti bergaji penuh atau separuh gaji kepada pekerja.

Pada masa sama, 25.4 peratus daripada responden pula bertahan antara tiga hingga enam bulan serta 16.5 peratus daripadanya boleh bertahan kurang daripada sebulan.

Beliau berkata, hanya 4.7 peratus syarikat atau firma perniagaan mampu bertahan sehingga melebihi enam bulan.

“Dalam pada itu, 67.8 peratus syarikat menyatakan tiada sumber pendapatan sepanjang tempoh PKP. Sementara, 12.3 peratus pula memperoleh pendapatan melalui jualan atau perkhidmatan dalam talian dan 9.8 peratus daripada jualan di premis fizikal dan kedai.

“Didapati 83.1 peratus syarikat memerlukan bantuan kewangan atau subsidi daripada kerajaan. Ini diikuti pengurangan cukai syarikat atau mana-mana cukai berkaitan (67.0 peratus) dan 39.1 peratus menyatakan memerlukan penangguhan pembayaran pinjaman dan pindaan polisi atau dasar berkaitan (30.6 peratus),” katanya.

Artikel ini disiarkan pada : Sabtu, 9 Mei 2020 @ 7:15 AM

• 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, sales of hand sanitisers have soared. It’s become such a sought-after product that pharmacies and supermarkets have started limiting the number that people can buy at one time. New York state has even announced it will start producing its own hand sanitiser to meet demand. Though hand sanitisers can help reduce our risk of catching certain infections, not all hand sanitisers are equally effective against coronavirus.

As with other viral respiratory infections – like the common cold and flu – the novel coronavirus (called SARS-CoV-2) is mainly spread when virus-laden droplets from a person’s mouth or nose are transferred to other people. However, a recent study has suggested that it can also spread through faeces.

Aside from inhaling droplets, you can also get respiratory viruses including SARS-CoV-2 by touching anything contaminated with the virus and then touching your face, in particular your mouth or nose. We touch our faces a lot without even realising it. A study from New South Wales found that people touch their faces about 23 times an hour

Washing with warm water and soap remains the gold standard for hand hygiene and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Washing with warm water (not cold water) and soap removes oils from our hands that can harbour microbes.

But hand sanitisers can also protect against disease-causing microbes, especially in situations when soap and water aren’t available. They’re also proven to be effective in reducing the number and type of microbes.

There are two main types of hand sanitisers: alcohol-based and alcohol-free. Alcohol-based hand sanitisers contain varying amounts and types of alcohol, often between 60% and 95% and usually isopropyl alcohol, ethanol (ethyl alcohol) or n-propanol. Alcohol is known to be able to kill most germs.

Alcohol-free hand sanitisers contain something called quarternary ammonium compounds (usually benzalkonium chloride) instead of alcohol. These can reduce microbes but are less effective than alcohol.

Not only are alcohol-based hand sanitisers found to be effective at killing many types of bacteria, including MRSA and E coli, they’re also effective against many viruses, including the influenza A virus, rhinovirus, hepatitis A virus, HIV, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

Destroying viruses

Alcohol attacks and destroys the envelope protein that surrounds some viruses, including coronaviruses. This protein is vital for a virus’s survival and multiplication. But a hand sanitiser needs to be at least 60% alcohol in order to kill most viruses.

Hand sanitisers with less than 60% alcohol were also found to be less effective at killing bacteria and fungi and may only reduce the growth of germs rather than killing them outright.

And even hand sanitisers containing 60% alcohol can’t remove all types of germs. Studies have found that hand washing is more effective than hand sanitisers at removing norovirus, Cryptosporidium (a parasite that can cause diarrhoea), and Clostridium difficile (bacteria which cause bowel problems and diarrhoea).

With shortages leading some people to try and make their own hand sanitisers, it’s also important to know these might not be as effective as commercially available products.

If hands are visibly dirty, hand washing with soap and water is more effective than using alcohol-based hand sanitisers. Research has found that the detergent effect of soap and the friction of washing work together to reduce the number of microbes on our hands, as well as the dirt and organic materials.

Sneezing or coughing into your hands also requires more than just a pump of hand sanitiser to disinfect them. This is because if your hands are contaminated with mucous, the hand sanitiser might not work as well because mucous acts to protect microbes.

As a result, the best and most consistent way of preventing the spread of the coronavirus – and reducing your risk of contracting it – remains washing your hands with soap and water as a first choice, and avoiding touching your face as much as possible.

But alcohol-based hand sanitisers (with at least 60% alcohol) are a practical alternative when soap and water aren’t available. If you are using hand sanitiser then, just like when washing with soap and water, you need to make sure you cover your hands (including between your knuckles, wrists, palms, back of your hand and your fingernails) fully, rubbing it in for at least 20 seconds so it’s truly effective.

Credit to theconversation.com; Author:Manal Mohammed