Not all gloom and doom in virus outbreak

Business as usual: An employee wearing a face mask working on a production line manufacturing socks for export at a factory in Huzhou’s Deqing county, Zhejiang province, China. — Reuters

THE year has not been a good start for many countries in the world – more so for Asean, with the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak still raging on in China.

The Chinese lunar new year was supposed to be a merry festival for most in the region, but there was no celebrative mood. In Asean, businesses linked to the tourism and retail sectors were ready to welcome a large number of Chinese tourists as this was the “golden holiday” season for deep-pocketed tourists.