Singapore to offer baby bonus as people put plans on hold in Covid crisis
by Rebecca Ratcliffe, South-east Asia correspondent from on (#58W5Z)
It comes as data shows pandemic influencing birthrates in different ways around world
Singapore plans to offer a one-off payment to encourage couples to have a baby during the coronavirus pandemic, fearing that the economic impact of the outbreak is worsening the city state's already low birth rate.
Singapore has struggled for decades to encourage more people to have children, offering cash grants, preschool subsidies, and even matchmaking tea dances as incentives. The deputy prime minister, Heng Swee Keat, said officials had heard that some aspiring parents were putting plans on hold due to Covid-19.
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