800 migrant workers newly quarantined after Covid-19 case discovered in cleared dormitory

There are currently about 22,800 workers who are still serving out their quarantine period. They will be tested when their quarantine ends. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - Eight hundred migrant workers have been newly quarantined because the Ministry of Health discovered a case among them in a cleared dormitory, the ministry said on Wednesday night (Aug 12).

The ministry did not name the dormitory.

Although the inter-agency task force has completed the testing of all workers in the dormitories, there are currently about 22,800 workers - including the 800 - who are still serving out their quarantine period.

These workers will be tested when their quarantine ends, and the ministry expects the daily case counts to remain high in the coming days, before tapering off.

On Wednesday, 42 new coronavirus cases were confirmed, taking Singapore's total to 55,395.

This was the lowest daily total in more than four months since March 30, when 35 new infections were reported.

Like the new cases, the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals also hit double digits on Wednesday, as 92 patients remained in hospital. There were, however, none in intensive care.

A sole patient in the community was announced on Wednesday. He is a 58-year-old Singaporean who had been identified as a contact of a previously confirmed case, and had been placed on quarantine earlier. He was tested during quarantine, said the ministry.

There were also 11 imported patients, comprising two Singaporeans, three work pass holders, one work permit holder, four dependant's pass holders and one special pass holder.

The two Singaporeans had returned here separately: from India on July 3 and from Indonesia on July 30.

The patient who returned from India is an eight-year-old boy who served his stay-home notice (SHN) with his parent and siblings in the same room at a dedicated facility, and was subsequently placed on quarantine again when his SHN contacts tested positive for Covid-19. He had been tested again during quarantine to verify his status.

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The four dependant's pass holders arrived from India on July 28 and 31. Another four cases are work pass and work permit holders employed in Singapore and they had separately arrived from the Philippines on July 29 and from India on July 31.

All of them had been placed on 14-day stay-home notices on arrival here, and had been tested while serving their notices or quarantine.

The remaining imported patient is a Filipino seaman holding a special pass who arrived in Singapore from India on Aug 8 on a vessel.

He reported symptoms and was swabbed while on the vessel, where he remained until his test result came back positive for Covid-19. He was taken in an ambulance to hospital.

Meanwhile, Is Salon in Bukit Batok, Warren Golf & Country Club, HomeTeamNS Khatib, Chong Pang Wet Market & Food Centre and Northpoint City were added to a list of places visited by infectious Covid-19 patients.

The ministry provides the list of locations and the times that infectious Covid-19 patients have visited for at least 30 minutes to get those who were at these places at specific periods to monitor their health closely for two weeks from the date of their visit.

The full list of locations and times can be found on the ministry's website.

It has said that close contacts would already have been notified and that there is no need to avoid these places, as they would have been cleaned if necessary.

Migrant workers living in dormitories made up the remaining 30 new coronavirus patients announced on Wednesday.

The number of new daily cases in the community has remained stable at an average of two cases per day in the past two weeks.

The number of unlinked cases in the community has also stayed stable at an average of one case per day over the same period.

With 392 cases discharged on Wednesday, 50,505 patients have fully recovered from the disease.

A total of 4,756 are recuperating in community facilities.

Singapore has had 27 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes.

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