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COVID-19: S'pore confirms 233 more cases and 7 new clusters; 3rd consecutive day with no imported cases
Staff Writer, Singapore
Yahoo News Singapore13 April 2020, 12:00 AM SGT
A doctor attends to a migrant worker with coronavirus symptoms at HealthServe clinic here on 8 April, 2020. The worker was later sent to a hospital in an ambulance. (PHOTO: Reuters)More
SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday (12 April) confirmed 233 new COVID-19 cases – marking the third consecutive day with zero imported cases – and seven new clusters, bringing the total to 2,532 here.
It is also the second single-day highest figure reported thus far, following Thursday’s confirmation of 287 cases.
The seven new clusters, several of which are foreign worker dorms, are linked to Acacia Lodge, Tuas View Dormitory, 36 Woodlands Industrial Park E1, 85 Kallang Dormitory, Black Tap at Marina Bay Sands, a Kenyon-UBS construction site at 9 Penang Road as well as McDonald’s outlets at Forum, Lido and Parklane.
Of the 233 new local transmissions, 167 have no established links – over 84 per cent, or 141, are work permit holders, mostly residing in dormitories, worksites and other living quarters.
51 are linked to clusters while 15 are linked to other cases.
(SOURCE: MOH)
Separately, 32 more patients have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, bringing the total of recovered patients to 560.
Most of the 976 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while 31 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 988 cases who are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.
Eight have died from complications due to COVID-19 infection, including a 90-year-old Singaporean man who succumbed to the disease on Saturday.
National Development and COVID-19 mult-ministry taskforce co-chair Lawrence Wong took to Facebook on Sunday, noting that “the number of work permit and dormitory-related cases has increased sharply, and this is likely to continue going up, especially as we undertake more aggressive testing of workers at the dormitories”.
On the other hand, while the number of imported cases rose around mid-March due to a large number of returnees then, it has since come down to zero, he added.
“The number of cases in the community increased following the wave of imported cases. But there has been some moderation in recent days, in light of the safe distancing measures that have been put in place,” Wong said.
“We will only see the full effects of the circuit breaker in the next 1-2 weeks. So let's press on with our efforts to stay home, minimise contact with others, and break the transmission chain in our community.”
A total of 14 clusters linked to foreign worker dormitories have been identified thus far, including the S11 Dormitory@Punggol which is linked to 365 cases – the largest of its kind.
Seven such dorms have also been gazetted as isolation areas, including the newly-confirmed cluster at Acacia Lodge.
Earlier on Sunday, McDonald’s Singapore confirmed that five employees tested positive for the virus. They worked at outlets at LIDO, Forum Galleria, Parklane, and Geylang East Central.
As of Sunday noon, the MOH has identified 28,140 close contacts who have been quarantined. Of these, 12,088 are currently quarantined, and 16,052 have completed their quarantine.
As od 7 April noon, 72,680 swabs have also been tested, of which 47,486 were from unique individuals.
Measures to combat spread of coronavirus
The COVID-19 Temporary Measures Act, passed in Parliament on Tuesday, gives authorities the power to ban events and gatherings, or impose conditions on how they are conducted, during the “circuit breaker” period lasting till 4 May.
Those caught flouting these regulations will be fined $300 and subsequently face prosecution for repeated offences.
Under the Act, the penalty for first-time offenders is up to a $10,000 fine, a jail term of up to six months, or both. For second-time or subsequent offenders, the penalty is a fine of up to $20,000 along with a possible jail term of up to a year.
People who flout their five-day medical leave or stay-home notices and do not wear masks if they have to leave their place of accommodation to seek emergency medical treatment are also subjected to similar penalties.
Part of the “circuit breaker” measures – announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last Friday – include the closure of schools and most workplaces. Only essential services like food establishments, markets and supermarkets, transport, and key banking services will remain open during the month-long closure.
In a Good Friday address, Lee reiterated his call for Singaporeans to stay home, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in foreign worker dormitories as well as in the general population.
Over the weekend, the authorities issued a slew of measures, including the closure of beaches, facilities in parks and gardens and playfields.
Wearing masks was also made compulsory forcommuters on public transport, as well as while those visiting supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, and shopping malls.
Stadiums have also been closed, while parents are not allowed to drop off their children with grandparents on a daily basis.
Separately, all Singapore residents and long-term pass holders returning from overseas apart from Hubei province must serve the 14-day stay-home notice, while those returning from Hubei must serve a 14-day quarantine.
All short-term visitors are barred from entering or transiting via Singapore.
On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced an additional $5.1 billion Solidarity Budget to help businesses and households.
The government’s response to COVID-19 will total $59.9 billion, or about 12 per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product.
Staff Writer, Singapore
Yahoo News Singapore13 April 2020, 12:00 AM SGT
A doctor attends to a migrant worker with coronavirus symptoms at HealthServe clinic here on 8 April, 2020. The worker was later sent to a hospital in an ambulance. (PHOTO: Reuters)More
SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday (12 April) confirmed 233 new COVID-19 cases – marking the third consecutive day with zero imported cases – and seven new clusters, bringing the total to 2,532 here.
It is also the second single-day highest figure reported thus far, following Thursday’s confirmation of 287 cases.
The seven new clusters, several of which are foreign worker dorms, are linked to Acacia Lodge, Tuas View Dormitory, 36 Woodlands Industrial Park E1, 85 Kallang Dormitory, Black Tap at Marina Bay Sands, a Kenyon-UBS construction site at 9 Penang Road as well as McDonald’s outlets at Forum, Lido and Parklane.
Of the 233 new local transmissions, 167 have no established links – over 84 per cent, or 141, are work permit holders, mostly residing in dormitories, worksites and other living quarters.
51 are linked to clusters while 15 are linked to other cases.
Separately, 32 more patients have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, bringing the total of recovered patients to 560.
Most of the 976 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while 31 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 988 cases who are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.
Eight have died from complications due to COVID-19 infection, including a 90-year-old Singaporean man who succumbed to the disease on Saturday.
National Development and COVID-19 mult-ministry taskforce co-chair Lawrence Wong took to Facebook on Sunday, noting that “the number of work permit and dormitory-related cases has increased sharply, and this is likely to continue going up, especially as we undertake more aggressive testing of workers at the dormitories”.
On the other hand, while the number of imported cases rose around mid-March due to a large number of returnees then, it has since come down to zero, he added.
“The number of cases in the community increased following the wave of imported cases. But there has been some moderation in recent days, in light of the safe distancing measures that have been put in place,” Wong said.
“We will only see the full effects of the circuit breaker in the next 1-2 weeks. So let's press on with our efforts to stay home, minimise contact with others, and break the transmission chain in our community.”
A total of 14 clusters linked to foreign worker dormitories have been identified thus far, including the S11 Dormitory@Punggol which is linked to 365 cases – the largest of its kind.
Seven such dorms have also been gazetted as isolation areas, including the newly-confirmed cluster at Acacia Lodge.
Earlier on Sunday, McDonald’s Singapore confirmed that five employees tested positive for the virus. They worked at outlets at LIDO, Forum Galleria, Parklane, and Geylang East Central.
As of Sunday noon, the MOH has identified 28,140 close contacts who have been quarantined. Of these, 12,088 are currently quarantined, and 16,052 have completed their quarantine.
As od 7 April noon, 72,680 swabs have also been tested, of which 47,486 were from unique individuals.
Measures to combat spread of coronavirus
The COVID-19 Temporary Measures Act, passed in Parliament on Tuesday, gives authorities the power to ban events and gatherings, or impose conditions on how they are conducted, during the “circuit breaker” period lasting till 4 May.
Those caught flouting these regulations will be fined $300 and subsequently face prosecution for repeated offences.
Under the Act, the penalty for first-time offenders is up to a $10,000 fine, a jail term of up to six months, or both. For second-time or subsequent offenders, the penalty is a fine of up to $20,000 along with a possible jail term of up to a year.
People who flout their five-day medical leave or stay-home notices and do not wear masks if they have to leave their place of accommodation to seek emergency medical treatment are also subjected to similar penalties.
Part of the “circuit breaker” measures – announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last Friday – include the closure of schools and most workplaces. Only essential services like food establishments, markets and supermarkets, transport, and key banking services will remain open during the month-long closure.
In a Good Friday address, Lee reiterated his call for Singaporeans to stay home, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in foreign worker dormitories as well as in the general population.
Over the weekend, the authorities issued a slew of measures, including the closure of beaches, facilities in parks and gardens and playfields.
Wearing masks was also made compulsory forcommuters on public transport, as well as while those visiting supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, and shopping malls.
Stadiums have also been closed, while parents are not allowed to drop off their children with grandparents on a daily basis.
Separately, all Singapore residents and long-term pass holders returning from overseas apart from Hubei province must serve the 14-day stay-home notice, while those returning from Hubei must serve a 14-day quarantine.
All short-term visitors are barred from entering or transiting via Singapore.
On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced an additional $5.1 billion Solidarity Budget to help businesses and households.
The government’s response to COVID-19 will total $59.9 billion, or about 12 per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product.
