[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: On Wednesday (September 2), new COVID-19 clusters were reported in three dormitories of foreign workers that were previously cleared of the disease.
The Ministry of Health (MINSA) has identified new cases in Toh Guan Dormitory, Changi Lodge II and North Coast Lodge.
READ: Employers Should Make Sure Workers Get A Routine COVID-19 Swab Test Before Sept. 5
Of the 49 new COVID-19 infections reported in Singapore on Wednesday, 43 cases were from bedrooms.
Two of the newly confirmed cases are linked to five previous cases to form a new group in Toh Guan Dormitory. The bedroom was declared COVID-19 free on August 8 by the Ministry of Health. Before the cluster was closed, it had more than 1,300 COVID-19 cases.
The Toh Guan dormitory was declared an isolation area on April 6 under the Infectious Diseases Act. It was one of the first bedrooms to be published as such.
The Health Ministry reported Wednesday that six previous cases were linked to form a new group at Changi Lodge II. The dormitory was listed as an isolation area on April 2 and finally declared COVID-19 free on July 18. Before the group was closed, more than 500 confirmed cases were linked to it.
READ: Singapore has done well so far in the fight against COVID-19, but must learn from mistakes: PM Lee
A new group was also reported Wednesday at North Coast Lodge, with seven previous cases linked to the bedroom.
Months after it was declared an isolation zone on April 17, the Ministry of Health cleaned the bedroom of COVID-19 on August 14. More than 650 cases were linked to the group there before it was closed.
New clusters of COVID-19 have been identified in other bedrooms that have been cleared of COVID-19.
Two additional reported COVID-19 cases were linked to Sungei Tengah Lodge, Singapore’s largest foreign worker dormitory, on Wednesday, with a total of 196 confirmed cases in the group.
The dormitory was reported as a new cluster on August 22, about a month after the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) declared it free of COVID-19.
There have also been new groups at Homestay Lodge and Tuas View Dormitory.
According to MOM on August 19, All dormitories have been declared COVID-19 free, including self-contained blocks in specially constructed dormitories that served as isolation or quarantine facilities.
“All the residents of the independent blocks have completed their isolation or quarantine, or have been transferred to other government facilities depending on their health status,” MOM said on August 19.
READ: New cases of COVID-19 in bedrooms detected by routine tests are ‘part of the plan’: Josephine Teo
Last week, Human Resources Minister Josephine Teo said that the new COVID-19 cases found in bedrooms were the result of routine tests.
“We have planned that each and every one of the construction, marine and process sectors, as well as the people who come into contact with them, undergo regular tests. So today’s findings are the result of those tests, “Ms. Teo said on August 26.” That is what we are doing, it is part of the plan and it is emerging as part of the plan. “
Dorm-housed workers and those in the construction, marine and process industries, as well as those going to workplaces, must undergo routine tests listed every 14 days.
Employers must also make sure their workers have completed a COVID-19 smear test in the last 14 days by Saturday, authorities said.
Those who have not done so will not be able to go back to work.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
