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SINGAPORE – No breach has yet been discovered in operations at the Mandarin Orchard Singapore hotel, where several Covid-19 cases that had delivered their stay-at-home notices (SHNs) are suspected to be linked, the minister of Education, Lawrence Wong (Dec. 22).
But “what happened at Mandarin Orchard is another reminder that things can go wrong,” said Wong, who co-chairs a multi-ministry task force addressing the coronavirus here.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) had said it was investigating 13 cases of coronavirus among people who had served its SHN at Mandarin Orchard.
The cases, which came from 10 different countries, were infected by coronavirus strains with “high genetic similarity,” implying that the infections could come from a single source.
As of Monday, 11 Mandarin Orchard staff members tested positive for the virus and this indicates probable past Covid-19 infections.
The Health Ministry also tested 571 Mandarin Orchard employees, and all the results of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test were negative for Covid-19. This means that there is no continuous infection among hotel staff.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Wong said Singapore’s SHN regime has generally been effective.
“We have had many, many months of experience with SHN,” he said, adding that hotel operators have been responsible.
“They have taken it upon themselves to make sure that the protocols, the security, everything is done correctly. In this case, we still haven’t detected a breach. But somehow, something … happened. We don’t really know what it is.”
Investigations into the matter will continue and Mr. Wong said there are many possible ways that the virus has spread in the incident, such as through hotel surfaces or hotel staff.
“Nobody knows, but it shows how easily … the virus can spread,” he added.
“And that’s why, once again, we all need to take this seriously and remind ourselves why we need to be vigilant, be vigilant, and keep our guard up.”
Addressing concerns about the use of hotels as SHN facilities for travelers entering Singapore while they are open for stays to hotel guests, Wong said operations for areas in Mandarin Orchard used for SHN and tourists are being maintained. separated.
The wing of the hotel that houses those in SHN is separate from the wing that houses those on vacation. The SHN wing is also separated from other areas of the hotel open to locals and members of the public, Mr. Wong said.
“The protocols (and) security arrangements are already in place,” he added.
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