Passenger from Turkey tested positive at Singapore airport (Representational image)
Singapore, which has reported 112 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, on Wednesday stepped up efforts to contain its spread at Changi Airport after a passenger from Turkey tested positive for COVID-19.
The health ministry said that one of the passengers of Turkish Airlines flight TK54, which arrived here from Turkey on March 3, tested positive for COVID-19. A statement from the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said Turkish Airlines flight TK55 did not take off from Changi Airport on Wednesday at its scheduled departure time of 11.35 PM, Channel News Asia reported on Thursday.
The health ministry said it has started contact tracing for flight passengers who may have had a contact with the affected person. The MOT, together with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the Changi Airport Group, are in contact with and assisting the airline and passengers. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is in contact with the Turkish embassy.
Singapore has reported 112 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, two of which were reported on Wednesday. Out of the 33 people hospitalised, seven were critical. So far, 79 patients have been discharged. Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has asked pilots and cabin crew on a Milan-Singapore flight to take a leave of absence and monitor their health closely after a passenger tested positive.
The infected woman landed at Changi Airport then left for Auckland on February 25 on an Air New Zealand flight. She was subsequently confirmed to have the COVID-19 infection on Wednesday.
Flight NZ283 was also carrying the SIA passengers, The Straits Times reported on Wednesday. Air NZ said the woman, who flew from Singapore to Auckland, then went to Palmerston North on flight NZ5103 on Monday and returned to Auckland on NZ8114 the same day.
"Singapore Airlines has been informed that a passenger, who is confirmed to have COVID-19, travelled on our flight from Milan to Singapore on February 24.
"We are assisting the relevant authorities to identify the passengers and crew who were on board the flight," an SIA spokesman was quoted as saying in the report. According to media reports, the novel coronavirus has so far killed 3,123 people across the world and infected more than 91,783.
