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SINGAPORE – 30 new coronavirus cases were confirmed as of noon on Friday (January 1), with three new community cases, bringing Singapore’s total to 58,629.
Two of the community cases are contacts from previous cases working in the marine sector, the Ministry of Health (MINSA) said.
One is a family member of the case 58,817, a Singapore port pilot who was confirmed to have Covid-19 on Thursday.
The other is a close contact on case 58,810, a permanent Singapore resident who works as a marine surveyor and was reported as a community case on Wednesday.
There were also 27 imported cases that were included in stay-at-home notices upon arrival in Singapore.
More details will be announced on Friday evening.
A Raffles Girls’ School student who was last at the school on December 23 was one of five community cases announced Thursday.
The 14-year-old permanent resident was one of two family members in case 58,810, a permanent resident working as a marine surveyor at Lloyd’s Register Singapore.
The other family member is a 46-year-old permanent resident who works as a freelance florist at her place of residence on Ghim Moh Road.
They both live in the same home and were placed in home quarantine on December 30.
The third community case is a 55-year-old Singaporean man who worked as a port pilot at PSA Marine on West Coast Ferry Road.
He boards boats as part of his job to navigate through congested waters, the Health Ministry said.
The man was asymptomatic and had been detected through routine tests included in the ministry’s list of workers in the construction, marine and process sectors.
The Health Ministry added that on December 13, the man had visited Parkway Parade with seven other people and was known to be visiting relatives who were staying near his residence in Marine Crescent.
Investigations are ongoing to assess whether there were any violations of the safe management measures, the ministry said.
The other two new community cases are a 79-year-old Singaporean woman who is retired and a 50-year-old Singaporean man who is currently unemployed.
They are both relatives of the 55-year-old man who lives in Marine Crescent.
The Health Ministry added that all identified close contacts of the cases, including their relatives and coworkers, have been isolated and quarantined.
All will be examined at the beginning and end of their quarantine period so that the ministry can detect asymptomatic cases.
The government has also said it is reviewing precautionary measures for workers in the maritime sector.
The Ministry of Health will initiate special test operations to evaluate the people who boarded the ships on which Cases 58,810 and 58,817 recently worked.
It will also test port pilots, marine surveyors and ship repair workers in the coming days, regardless of its routine testing schedule, to determine if they have the virus.
“In view of the recent cases involving the maritime sector, we will review the need to tighten our precautionary measures for these workers,” the ministry said.
The review of precautionary measures for maritime workers comes after authorities tightened safety measures for the airline’s crew, following news that a Singapore Airlines cabin crew member and a pilot had tested positive for Covid-19.
The five community cases announced Thursday is the highest daily community figure since Aug. 30, when there were eight cases.
There were also 25 new imported coronavirus cases confirmed Thursday. This means there were 30 new cases on Thursday, the highest daily total since Sept. 21, when there were 31 cases.
All 25 were posted on stay-at-home notices or in isolation upon arrival in Singapore, the Health Ministry said.
Among them, two are Singaporean and three are permanent residents.
There are also two work pass holders, 14 work permit holders of which nine are foreign domestic workers, one dependent pass holder, one long term visit pass holder, one short term visit pass holder and a special pass holder.
The imported cases came from several countries, including the United Kingdom, Indonesia and India.
Geylang Serai Malay Market and Food Center, Kampong Glam Cafe on Bussorah Street and New Hawa Restaurant on Changi Road were some of the places visited by Covid-19 patients when they were still infectious, the MOH said.
Overall, the number of new cases in the community has risen to seven, with a total of three cases in the past week that are currently unrelated.
A total of 57 patients remain in the hospital, while 64 recover in community facilities. A patient is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
“The recent community cases are a stark reminder that we cannot afford to let our guard down, especially during this festive period when there is an increase in social interactions,” the MOH said.
“Let’s work together to avoid an uncontrolled resurgence of cases that could slow or even reverse our progress,” he added.
Globally, the virus outbreak, which began in December 2019, has infected more than 82.7 million people. More than 1.8 million people have died.
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