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SINGAPORE: Six new COVID-19 cases were reported in Singapore as of noon on Wednesday (December 9), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its daily preliminary update.
The latest count does not include a man who tested positive for COVID-19 aboard a cruise ship.
No new cases were found in the community or in the dormitories of foreign workers. This is the fourth consecutive day without locally transmitted infections.
All imported cases were placed on a stay-at-home notice upon arrival in Singapore.
Details of the new cases will be released Wednesday night, the Health Ministry said.
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An 83-year-old Singaporean man aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas tested positive for COVID-19 infection on Wednesday morning and was immediately isolated, the Health Ministry said.
She had reported to the medical center with diarrhea and was tested for COVID-19 using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kit aboard the cruise as part of the protocols.
“Your sample will be retested at the National Public Health Laboratory and a second sample will be taken for confirmatory testing. If other tests are also positive for COVID-19 infection, it will be included as a case in our daily case count, ”the MOH said.
Epidemiological investigations and contact tracing are ongoing. The Health Ministry added that “all the close contacts identified in the case have been isolated and the results obtained so far are negative for COVID-19 infection.”
The remaining passengers and crew will remain on board the ship until contact tracing is complete. All passengers will undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing before they are allowed to leave the terminal at Marina Bay Cruise Center, the Health Ministry said.
Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas ship began sailing again this month as part of a pilot plan that allows roundtrips without ports of call.
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Royal Caribbean International said in a separate statement that all guests and crew members who had close contact with the case have been identified, isolated and subsequently tested negative for the virus.
The Health Ministry has issued a notice to passengers, telling them to monitor their health for 14 days from the disembarkation date as a precaution.
All passengers will be required to undergo a swab test at the end of the follow-up period. During this period, they can continue with their usual activities, such as going to work or school.
Singapore has reported a total of 58,891 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday.
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