Singapore Reports 35 New COVID-19 Cases, All Imported; highest since the start of the pandemic



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SINGAPORE: Thirty-five new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Singapore as of noon on Sunday (January 3), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its preliminary daily update.

No new cases were found in the community or in the dormitories of foreign workers.

All the cases were imported and all were placed on a stay-at-home notice or isolated upon arrival in Singapore, the ministry said.

This is the highest daily number of imported cases in Singapore since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the 35 imported cases were six Singaporeans or permanent residents and seven foreign domestic workers.

Details of the new cases will be released Monday night, the Health Ministry said.

READ: Police investigate 44 people for violating COVID-19 rules about Boon Lay’s gathering on New Years Day

READ: 2 cases of COVID-19 in the maritime sector may have violated security measures; action taken against the employer

IMPROVED COVID-19 TESTING FOR THE MARITIME SECTOR

Singapore said on Saturday that it will toughen the COVID-19 testing regime for more than 20,000 workers on land in the maritime sector.

These workers will be required to undergo a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test between January 2-8 before they are allowed to board the ships for work.

They will also have to undergo routine tests assigned every seven days instead of 14 days.

Authorities said they are also investigating whether two maritime sector employees who recently tested positive for COVID-19 had violated safe management measures at work.

The two employees are the Lloyd’s Register Singapore marine surveyor who tested positive on December 29 and the Master Systems Marine marine service engineer who tested positive on November 26.

The marine surveyor is among four people in a new group involving two Raffles Girls’ School students, while the marine service engineer dined with 12 family members at a Seoul Garden establishment days before testing positive.

As of Sunday, Singapore has reported a total of 58,697 COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths from the disease.

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