The government of Singapore announced a special one-time “baby bonus” this week, in addition to an existing $10,000 package of benefits for new parents, to encourage more families to have children in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. “We have received feedback that COVID-19 [Chinese coronavirus] has caused some aspiring parents to postpone their parenthood plans. This is fully understandable, especially when they face uncertainty with their income,” Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Monday. Heng said the baby bonus would not come at the expense of other household and business support programs, including various government-issued rebates and vouchers.