Coronavirus pandemic

49 new cases in Singapore, with three new clusters

41 of them are local; Mustafa Centre, Keppel Shipyard among new clusters

A sign put up late last night at the 24-hour Mustafa Centre, announcing that it would be closed until further notice. A total of 11 cases - including those announced earlier - have been linked to the cluster.
A sign put up late last night at the 24-hour Mustafa Centre, announcing that it would be closed until further notice. A total of 11 cases - including those announced earlier - have been linked to the cluster. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

There were 49 new coronavirus cases in Singapore yesterday, with three new clusters found, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

They are at Mustafa Centre, a construction site at Maxwell MRT station and Keppel Shipyard in Pioneer.

Of the 49 new cases, 41 are local and eight are imported. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 1,049. Of the local cases, 26 are linked to previous cases and clusters while 15 are currently unlinked.

In all, 21 cases were discharged from hospitals and community isolation facilities, with the number of those recovered now at 266.

Of the 464 confirmed cases still in hospital, most are stable or improving. There are 23 patients in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

There are 315 cases who are clinically well being isolated at Concord International Hospital, Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Gleneagles Hospital and the Community Isolation Facility at D'Resort NTUC because they still test positive.

Among the new cases is a teacher at My First Skool in Rivervale Crescent. The Early Childhood Development Agency said the centre will be closed for cleaning from today to April 14.

A total of 11 cases - including those announced earlier - have been linked to the Mustafa Centre cluster, five to the construction site, and three to Keppel Shipyard.

Ten of yesterday's cases were linked to other clusters, including two SingPost Centre employees.

In a statement, SingPost said that the cluster began when a contractor reported to work on March 19 while on medical leave. He later tested positive for the virus. Between March 27 and yesterday, seven SingPost employees came down with the virus and dozens more were quarantined as a precaution.

Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran said: "This underscores the importance of staying at home and avoiding social interactions if unwell."

In a separate statement, Keppel Shipyard said around 100 staff have been put on leave of absence as a precaution after two employees were diagnosed with the virus. It has closed parts of its Tuas yard.

One of yesterday's cases is a 26-year-old Singaporean who was in India from March 2 to 18.

She works as a healthcare attendant at the Institute of Mental Health, but had not gone to work since she began having symptoms on March 20. She was confirmed to have the virus on Wednesday.

MOH also gave an update on a case announced on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Bangladeshi national, a long-term pass holder with no travel history to affected places, reported symptoms on March 28.

He was confirmed to have the virus on Tuesday. The man works as a contractor installing toilet facilities in Sengkang General Hospital. Before he was hospitalised, he had gone to work but not interacted with patients.

Yesterday, MOH also reported that a fourth person in Singapore has died of Covid-19. The 68-year-old Indonesian man died from serious complications due to the infection at 6.43am yesterday morning. He had a history of diabetes and hypertension.

The Ministry of Communications and Information has launched two new channels for people to keep up with developments on the pandemic. They are the Gov.sg Telegram channel (go.gov.sg/govsg-telegram) and a refresh of the Gov.sg Twitter channel (go.gov.sg/twitter).

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 03, 2020, with the headline 49 new cases in Singapore, with three new clusters. Subscribe