Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said that those returning from Sabah after voting in the state election will not need to undergo the compulsory 14-days quarantine. Ismail Sabri said that the authorities are only encouraging those who return from selected areas such as Tawau, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Kunak in Sabah — where COVID-19 cases are rife — to perform swab tests for their own safety.

On 22 September, AMCHAM held a topical discussion on the present and future of insurance and the InsureTech landscape here in Malaysia. Since flexible and customer-centric innovations are already part of industries, how does insurance fare, especially after the advent of COVID-19 and the lockdowns in Malaysia?

BusinessToday speaks to Srirangam Srirangarajan, Altair’s Managing Director for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand on the importance of smart manufacturing and how it could benefit businesses in the current pandemic. “Smart manufacturing, in simple terms, is about connecting the machines on the shop floor with other possible systems with a goal to improve productivity and reduce costs,” says Srirangam Srirangarajan.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global economies and businesses, and Human Resources (HR) has been at the heart of it. The questions are endless when it comes to envisioning the future impact and role of HR post-COVID-19. One thing is for certain – the pandemic and its inherent effect on businesses has highlighted the need for adaptability and resilience in today’s workforce, accelerated the shift towards a new, digital economy and accentuated the importance of HR in the new normal.

More than eight months and 900,000 deaths into the COVID-19 pandemic, people around the world are longing for an end. In our view, there are two important definitions of “end,” each with a separate timeline; an epidemiological end point when herd immunity is achieved, or a transition to a form of normalcy. A second (and likely, earlier) end point will occur when almost all aspects of social and economic life can resume without fear of ongoing mortality or long-term health consequences related to COVID-19.