Asia
COVID stigma keeps Myanmar medical volunteers locked out of home
A Buddhist monk and a budding sailor are among the outcasts squatting in an abandoned building in Myanmar while they help bury coronavirus victims and their worried families tell them to keep away.
A surge in infections across the country has been aggravated by a lack of formal medical care, with many hospitals empty of staff joining nationwide strikes against a February military coup.
Thar Gyi, one of the twenty-odd volunteers living in the building, hasn’t been home to his family in almost three months after a patient he was transporting in his ambulance tested positive for the virus.
“Since then… they asked me not to come back. They sent my bags here,” he told AFP in Taungoo, a few hours’ drive north of commercial hub Yangon.
His team run an ambulance service that transports sick patients and picks up bodies for cremation and burial.
At night they return to the building — once part of the city’s university, but now empty — to eat together, relax and play on their phones.
Thar Gyi should be at sea or preparing for a voyage — he had secured a position with a western shipping firm, but then the pandemic struck and put the job on hold.
Like most of the group he has caught the virus and recovered, but his family still want him to stay away while he goes about his job as a corpse carrier.
“Even if I go back, I talk to them from the entrance without going inside the house,” he said.
“They cook whatever I want to eat. But they put it at the entrance of the house. They don’t let me come in.”
Fellow ambulance worker Kumara has been a monk for 17 years, but left his monastery to organise the volunteer group when the third wave of infections hit in June.
He has had the virus too and is keeping away from his fellow devotees, who like most of the town are wary of potential infection.
“People do not like ambulances parking in front of their house,” he said.
“They run away and cover their noses… They think our ambulance is carrying viruses.”
— AFP
Asia
Up to 200 athletes tested for doping so far at Asian Games
Between 150 and 200 Asian Games athletes tested for doping, yielding no positive results. Anti-doping efforts emphasized for a clean event, focusing on record-breakers.
HANGZHOU, CHINA — Between 150 and 200 Asian Games athletes have already been tested for doping, the Olympic Council of Asia said on Monday, with no positive results so far.
Speaking at an anti-doping press conference on the second full day of the Games in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, the OCA said dope-testing was “gaining momentum” at the event.
Mani Jegathesan, an adviser to the OCA anti-doping committee, warned that drug cheats would be rooted out.
Up to 200 athletes have been tested so far, he said, but any positive results will take several days to come through.
“Every athlete participating in these Games must understand that they could be picked at any time,” Jegathesan warned.
“That is the best step to ensuring we have a clean event.”
There are about 12,000 athletes at the 19th Asian Games, more competitors than the Olympics, and Jegathesan admitted it would be impossible to test them all.
Instead, they will prioritise, including picking out those who break world or Asian records.
— AFP
Asia
Foodpanda’s restructuring amid sale speculations
Food delivery giant Foodpanda, a subsidiary of Delivery Hero, announces staff layoffs in the Asia-Pacific region, aiming for increased efficiency. This move coincides with ongoing talks about potentially selling parts of its 11-year-old business.
Foodpanda, a subsidiary of Delivery Hero, is initiating undisclosed staff reductions in the Asia-Pacific region, as discussions continue regarding the potential sale of a portion of its 11-year-old food delivery business.
In a memorandum circulated to employees on 21 September, Foodpanda CEO Jakob Angele conveyed the company’s intent to become more streamlined, efficient, and agile.
Although the exact number of affected employees was not disclosed, the emphasis was on enhancing operational efficiency for the future.
No mention was made in the memo regarding the reports of Foodpanda’s potential sale in Singapore and six other Southeast Asian markets, possibly to Grab or other interested buyers.
Foodpanda had previously conducted staff layoffs in February and September 2022. These actions come as the company faces mounting pressure to achieve profitability, particularly in challenging economic conditions.
The regulatory filings of Foodpanda’s Singapore entity for the fiscal year 2022, ending on 31 Dec, indicated a loss of S$42.7 million despite generating revenue of S$256.7 million.
Angele further explained that Foodpanda intends to review its organizational structure, including both regional and country teams, with some reporting lines being reassigned to different leaders. Additionally, certain functions will be consolidated into regional teams.
Expressing regret over the challenging decisions, Angele assured affected employees of a severance package, paid gardening leave, and extended medical insurance coverage where feasible.
Foodpanda will also forego the usual waiting period for long-term incentive plan grants, and vesting will continue until the last employment date. Employees will retain all vested shares as of their last day of employment.
Foodpanda, established in 2012 and headquartered in Singapore, became a part of Delivery Hero in 2016. The company operates in 11 markets across the Asia-Pacific region, excluding its exit from the Japanese market last year.
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