Over 1,000 foreign workers, including Indians, test positive for coronavirus in Singapore
Over 1,000 foreign workers, including Indian nationals, tested positive for coronavirus in Singapore on Wednesday, taking the total number of infections to 10,141, as the city-state battles a second wave of contagion.
The "vast majority" of the new cases are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its preliminary release of figures.
With the death of an 84-year-old Singaporean woman, the death toll in the country has increased to 12, it said.
More than 1,000 foreign workers, including Indian nationals, are among 1,016 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Singapore on Wednesday noon, according to official figures.
Of the new cases, 967 were foreign workers living in dormitories with 32 infected work permit holders, also foreigners, living outside the dorms, said the ministry said.
Seventeen coronavirus cases are 17 are Singaporeans, permanent residents and work pass holders or foreigners working here.
"We are still working through the details of the cases, and further updates will be shared via the MOH press release that will be issued tonight," the ministry added.
Foreign workers in Singapore - many of them Indian nationals - have been hit hard by the virus, with several foreign worker dormitories being placed under quarantine.
The city-state managed to keep its outbreak in check in the early stages due to widespread testing and contact-tracing, but is facing a fast-moving second wave of infections.
The number of new cases among work permit holding foreigners residing outside dormitories rose to an average of 30 per day in the past week from an average of 14 infections per day in the week before.
The number of new cases in the community has decreased, from an average of 36 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 25 per day in the past week.
"We will continue to closely monitor these numbers, as well as the cases detected through our surveillance programme," the ministry said.
Singapore has further closed businesses after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday extended the "circuit breaker" until June 1 to control the spread of the deadly disease.
The country's largest active cluster remains S11 Dormitory in Punggol, which has confirmed 2,211 cases. It houses foreign workers.
The ministry said that 25 of the 4,234 patients in hospital are in critical condition. Most of the others are stable or improving.
Another 4,999 patients who are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.
Fifty-seven more coronavirus patients have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, bringing the number of cured patients to 896.
Speaking in Chinese on Tuesday circuit break extension announcement, the prime minister said that only one person from each household should be away from home at any one time.
He urged people to stay at home as much as possible. Should they need to go out for the essentials, they should do so alone, he stressed.
"Go out alone, get what you need, and return home straightaway," said the prime minister.
“Do your marketing on weekdays rather than weekends, and don't bring your whole family with you for grocery shopping.”
Additional measures on food and retail outlets took effect from Wednesday and will continue until at least May 4 which means more workplaces will be closed, reducing the number of workers who keep essential services going.
All standalone food and beverage outlets selling mainly drinks and snacks, as well as hairdressing and barber shops, were asked to shut by 11.59 pm on Tuesday night, reported The Straits Times.
Entry restrictions have been imposed at popular markets while temperature screening is being done on every visitor at all supermarkets and malls from Wednesday.
Visitors to these public places will also have to provide their particulars for contact tracing, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Tuesday night.
