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SINGAPORE: A community case was among 15 new COVID-19 infections reported in Singapore as of noon on Friday (January 22), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.
The remaining 14 cases were imported infections and no new infections were reported in the dormitories of foreign workers.
The only case from the community was a 26-year-old Malaysian who is linked to the BS Industrial & Construction Supply group, which has now risen to eight infections.
The woman, known as Case 59522, works as a sales staff at the company at 34 Kallang Place and is a co-worker with Case 59429, a 39-year-old permanent resident of Singapore who is also a sales staff.
The woman was quarantined on January 18 when case 59429 was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection. She was tested for COVID-19 on January 20 even though she was asymptomatic.
Her test came back positive the next day and she was taken to the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID). Your serological test result was negative, indicating that it is probably a current infection.
The Health Ministry said the total number of new cases in the community has risen from two cases in the previous week to 21 cases in the last week.
The number of unrelated cases in the community has also increased from two cases in the previous week to five cases in the last week.
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Among the 191 confirmed cases reported between January 16 and 22, a total of 106 cases tested positive in their serological tests, while 35 were negative. The remaining 50 serological test results are pending.
The Ministry of Health also added several new locations to its list of places visited by COVID-19 cases in the community during its infectious period. Venues include popular shopping and dining destinations such as VivoCity, Paya Lebar Square, Golden Mile Complex, and Sim Lim Square.
MEMBER OF THE SINGAPORE AIRLINES CABIN CREW AMONG IMPORTED CASES
Two Singaporeans and a permanent resident who returned from Malaysia, Mauritius and Myanmar are among the 14 imported cases reported on Friday.
There was also one dependent pass holder who traveled from France and four work pass holders who came from France, India and the UK.
Three are work permit holders who came from India and Indonesia, of which one is a foreign domestic worker.
There was a short-term visitor pass holder who came from India to visit a member of her family who is a permanent resident.
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The remaining two cases are special pass holders who are members of the sea crew. One case arrived on board a ship from China and was cleaned up on arrival. He was isolated until his result was positive for COVID-19 infection, and he was subsequently transferred to the hospital.
The other holder of the special pass arrived on board a ship from Timor Leste and did not disembark. They took a swab from him aboard the ship and took him to hospital when his test came back positive for the coronavirus.
Of the 14 imported cases, the Health Ministry said that 13 had already been placed on a stay-at-home notice or isolated upon arrival in Singapore and were evaluated during this period.
The remaining imported case, a work pass holder who works as a cabin crew member at Singapore Airlines, had traveled to the UK for work between 12 and 13 January.
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The 29-year-old woman, known as Case 59529, returned to Singapore on January 14. The Indian national was tested for COVID-19 upon arrival and her test came back negative the same day.
He subsequently developed a fever on January 17 and sought medical treatment at a general medicine clinic. On January 20, he developed a loss of smell and was tested for COVID-19 the next day.
His test result was positive for COVID-19 infection on January 22. The Health Ministry said she had stayed home from January 14 until she was taken to the hospital on January 22.
24 more patients discharged
Twenty-four more cases have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, bringing Singapore’s total recoveries to 58,983.
There are 41 cases still in the hospital. Most of them are stable or improving and one is in the intensive care unit. Another 197 are being isolated and cared for in community facilities.
As of Friday, Singapore has reported a total of 59,250 COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths.
LAYER OF 8 VISITORS PER DAY IN EACH HOUSEHOLD FROM 26 JANUARY
Homes will only be able to receive a maximum of eight visitors per day starting January 26, given the recent increase in community cases of COVID-19 and the potential risk of transmission during the Chinese New Year period.
People should also limit themselves to visiting no more than two homes per day as much as possible, Education Minister Lawrence Wong announced on Friday.
Currently, up to eight visitors are allowed in each home at a time, with no limit to the number of homes they can visit.
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Those who choose to go out to dinner should avoid talking loudly during the meal. This means that the Chinese New Year tradition of “lohei” should be carried out without verbalizing the usual auspicious phrases, Wong said during a press conference of the multi-ministerial COVID-19 task force.
Face masks must also be worn during the yusheng toss, in accordance with current rules on wearing a mask when diners are not eating or drinking, and there must also be no intermixing on tables.
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“We just need to remember what happened last year when we actually saw an increase in cases after the Chinese New Year, and we had many groups linked to the Chinese New Year meetings.
“This was last year, we don’t want that to happen again. And that is why we are making a preventive move now to toughen up some of our measures,” added Mr. Wong.
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