COVID-19 and Singapore’s Film and TV Industry: News Roundup for Week of 2 March 20204 min read
Reading Time: 3 minutesTrue to Sinema’s core goal of supporting the local film and TV industry by being a resource hub, we will be cutting through the deluge of news relating to the Coronavirus flooding Facebook feeds and WhatsApp groups to deliver the daily news most relevant to the industry.
S$7.50/hr allowance for freelancers & self-employed to attend SkillsFuture courses
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday (March 3) during the committee of supply debates, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo outlined some of the help being extended to freelancers and Self-Employed Persons (SEP).
Teo acknowledged that the Covid-19 outbreak has impacted more than just the taxi and private hire industry, which had received a S$77 million package by the Ministry of Transport and that SEPs in other occupations have been adversely affected as well.
Despite the adversity, Teo stated that this could also be a window of opportunity for them to upgrade their skills.
The newly introduced SEP Training Support Scheme will see all SEPs paid a training allowance of S$7.50/hour to attend courses under the SkillsFuture Series, as well as selected sector-specific training programmes, over the next three months.
Read the full article>>Covid-19: Chan Chun Sing Calls on Landlords to ‘Do Their Part’ as Tenants Clamour for Lower Rents
Singapore’s major landlords should “do their part together” amid the business impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing has suggested.
Speaking in the House on Tuesday, Mr Chan weighed in on the feud between some mall owners and their food and beverage tenants, over the delivery of promised rental rebates.
The issue, which cropped up in a statement by the Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) on Sunday night, was also raised by Member of Parliament Liang Eng Hwa (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC).
Global Film Industry Facing $5 Billion Loss Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
In 2019, the international box office soared to a record $31.1 billion, contributing to a worldwide haul of $42.5 billion, likewise an all-time high. But the celebration by the global film industry has quickly been replaced by anxiety because of coronavirus, which many public health officials are now calling a global pandemic — one that could keep populations around the world away from public spaces, like multiplexes, for weeks or months.
As of late Monday, the virus, which causes the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, had infected over 90,000 and claimed more than 3,000 lives worldwide. The vast majority of the deaths have been within China, where the virus emerged, but more new cases are now being found outside of the country than within it. South Korea saw its confirmed infections nearly double over the weekend to 4,300.
S$1.6 million set aside for arts and culture sector amid COVID-19 outbreak
About S$1.6 million will be set aside for the arts and culture sector as part of support for the community amid the COVID-19 outbreak, and to prepare the sector for “post-disease recovery”, announced Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng on Friday, 6 March.
“We want cultural performances to continue during this time as the arts inspire us and lift our spirits, as long as necessary precautions are in place. This is what MCCY (Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth) agencies and institutions – including NAC (National Arts Council), NHB (National Heritage Board) and PA (People’s Association) – will commit to, where possible,” he said in his Committee of Supply speech.
“We also want to encourage arts and culture practitioners to take this opportunity to develop their capabilities and better position themselves for the future.”
(Banner Photo Credit: 123RF)
