SINGAPORE - Swabbing is under way for about 180 staff at Enabling Village after a cleaner there tested positive for Covid-19.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday (June 23), SG Enable said more than 70 people at the community and social business hub in Redhill have gone for swabbing at testing stations nearby.

SG Enable, a government-linked agency that seeks to empower people with disabilities, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Promotion Board are offering free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for about 100 people with disabilities working in Enabling Village and around 80 others who work closely with them.

It comes after deep cleaning on Tuesday of public spaces and one of the blocks at the hub, which is jointly managed by SG Enable and the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Those being tested include employees of food and beverage establishments and retail tenants in Enabling Village, as well as the Autism Resource Centre's Employability and Employment Centre.

SG Enable said it is "especially concerned" for people with disabilities who work there, following the detection of a Covid-19 case in Enabling Village on Sunday.

It added that they are a "vulnerable group" and the facility is near clusters in Bukit Merah View and Redhill Close.

The patient - a 63-year-old cleaner - was among 13 community cases reported on Monday and is linked to a cluster at Block 119 Bukit Merah View.

He was detected as part of community surveillance testing for residents in the Bukit Merah View area and is employed by CSP Maintenance.

His serology test was negative, which suggests a recent infection. A serology test detects the presence of antibodies and can show if the person might have been infected in the past.

In a statement on Wednesday night, MOH said another cleaner at Enabling Village employed by CSP Maintenance tested positive for Covid-19.

The 50-year-old woman was identified as a close contact of the 63-year-old and had been quarantined on Monday. She is asymptomatic, and her test during quarantine came back positive for the virus on Wednesday.

On the testing for people with disabilities and staff, SG Enable added that it has "heard positive feedback of care and accommodation".

This follows promises from MOH to improve Covid-19 testing procedures for people with disabilities after caregivers called for the authorities to do more to help.

This includes engaging relevant professionals as well as volunteers from the National Council of Social Service, who are trained to work with people with special needs.