Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) has ramped up precautionary measures after a staff member tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday.

Those who were in close contact with the 27-year-old housekeeper are now under quarantine, the hospital said yesterday.

Contact tracing and surveillance swab tests are also ongoing, with additional measures - such as intensive disinfection of the relevant areas - taken to mitigate the risk.

Hospitals have been on heightened alert since a Covid-19 cluster broke out at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, with many swabbing all staff in order to root out cases as quickly as possible. Singapore's first hospital cluster had 48 cases as at yesterday.

SKH said the Malaysian housekeeper, whose case is unlinked, had not had any contact with coronavirus patients.

He had also adhered to proper precautionary measures such as wearing personal protective equipment while at work.

SKH added that his most recent swab test done last Friday as part of the hospital's surveillance testing had been negative.

The man, who has not been vaccinated against the coronavirus, was last at work last Saturday and developed symptoms on Sunday night. He visited a polyclinic on Monday, when he was tested for Covid-19.

He was isolated after an antigen rapid test came up positive, with a polymerase chain reaction test later confirming the result.

He is currently in an isolation ward at SKH and doing well.

"We remain on heightened vigilance to keep our patients, their family members and our staff safe," the hospital said in a Facebook post.

"This includes proper wearing of face masks, proper hand hygiene and following all safe distancing measures."

The hospital added that it has also reinforced the importance of infection control, adhering to safety measures and exercising personal responsibility when ill.

In a separate post yesterday, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital, which share a campus in Jurong, said they would be conducting a second swab test on all staff and vendors.

This is a precautionary measure, given the Health Ministry's decision to shut Jem and Westgate malls nearby for two weeks, following likely ongoing transmission among visitors to both places.

The Jem/Westgate cluster grew to 60 cases as at last night. The new cases include an 18-year-old male student at ITE College West and a 28-year-old woman who works as a hairdresser at Kimage Hair Salon in Lot 1.

Hospital staff who visited the malls from May 10 have been advised to closely monitor their health for two weeks and seek immediate treatment if unwell.

The hospitals had carried out a first swabbing exercise early this month as part of surveillance testing against Covid-19.