Coronavirus: Tampines dormitory the fifth to be placed under isolation
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There were 17 new coronavirus cases confirmed on Thursday (April 9) that were linked to the dormitory at 2 Tampines Place.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Toh Ting Wei
A fifth foreign worker dormitory has been placed under isolation, as coronavirus cases linked to these sites continue to rise rapidly.
In a notice in the Government Gazette on Thursday night, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong declared the Tampines Dormitory as an isolation area under the Infectious Diseases Act to prevent the spread or possible outbreak of coronavirus infections. The move took effect from 11.59pm on Thursday.
The dormitory is located at 2 Tampines Place.
Yesterday, 11 new confirmed coronavirus cases were linked to the dormitory, bringing the total to 49 cases in that cluster.
Four other dormitories - Sungei Tengah Lodge, S11 Dormitory @ Punggol, Westlite in Toh Guan and Toh Guan Dormitory - have also been isolated. This means that workers at these lodgings have to be quarantined in their rooms for 14 days.
Singapore has seen a sharp spike in coronavirus cases linked to foreign worker dormitories recently.
The S11 Dormitory cluster alone now has 306 confirmed cases, accounting for close to 15 per cent of all cases in Singapore.
A total of 10 dormitories now have Covid-19 clusters.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement yesterday that cleanliness and sanitation in the four dormitories earlier gazetted as isolation areas have vastly improved following the enhanced measures and cleaning routines.
It will carry out the same measures at Tampines Dormitory.
The ministry said: "The frequency of refuse collection and removal from the premises for disposal has been increased from once a day to three to five times daily, depending on the premises.
"The disinfection and cleaning of the common areas and washroom facilities are also carried out an average of three times per day."
More manpower has been secured to handle the enhanced cleaning and waste disposal regime.
The ministry added: "MOM officers have been working round the clock at the dormitories gazetted as isolation areas to ensure the foreign workers' well-being is taken care of and the living conditions are of the highest standards.
"We will continue to act on the feedback provided by dormitory residents on possible areas of improvements."
