Chinatown Complex shut till Sept 15 as new cluster emerges with 66 cases

Chinatown Complex will be closed to all members of the public from 3pm today to 11.59pm on Sept 15, as the Ministry of Health reported a total of 66 cases linked to a new cluster there.

All staff working at Chinatown Complex are being tested for Covid-19, it added.

To contain the cluster, people who have logged in with SafeEntry at Chinatown Complex from Sept 8 to Sept 11 will be issued health risk alerts.

MOH said: "They are strongly encouraged to go for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test as soon as possible and to reduce their social interactions for 14 days."

MOH is also extending free Covid-19 testing to members of the public who had visited Chinatown Complex between Sept 8 and Sept 11, but who do not receive the alerts.

They can refer to https://go.gov.sg/chinatown-complex-testing for details on the testing operations.

All visitors to Chinatown Complex between these dates are advised to monitor their health closely, and minimise social interactions as far as possible, for 14 days from their date of visit.

They are encouraged to see a doctor immediately if they feel unwell, MOH said.

Of the 66 cases linked to the cluster, 63 work at Chinatown Complex. They include 58 stallholders and stall assistants, four cleaners and one safe distancing ambassador working at the complex.

The remaining three are household contacts of infected cases.

MOH has classified the cluster as ongoing workplace transmission.

MOH reported a total of 555 new Covid-19 cases yesterday, with 486 cases in the community and 64 among dormitory residents.

Five cases were imported.

Yesterday's total number of cases is more than double the 259 cases last Saturday.

Among the local cases yesterday were 145 seniors who were above 60 years old - up from Friday's 127.

Three new cases were added to the PCF Sparkletots Braddell Heights cluster, taking the total to 22. MOH reported transmission among children in the same class, with further spread to household contacts of cases.

There were also 31 new cases added to the clusters linked to staff at six bus interchanges at Punggol, Toa Payoh, Tampines, Boon Lay, Clementi and Jurong East.

The total number of cases at these interchanges stands at 606.

MOH noted that at all the interchanges, the transmission is among bus captains and interchange staff, with no evidence of spread to commuters.

Five new cases were added to the cluster at Bugis Junction, taking the total to 313.