In Brief: International event organisers to be updated

The authorities will get in touch with the organisers of international conferences such as the Shangri-La Dialogue and the World Economic Forum, in view of the jump in local cases and new clusters, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong at the press conference of the multi-ministry task force yesterday.

"The organisers will have to assess the public health situation globally and the prevailing situation in Singapore... we are in touch and will provide them with information on our public health updates," added Mr Wong, a co-chair of the task force. He will take over the finance portfolio today.

The attendees will have to take into account the broader situation and if they are prepared to travel, he added.

A spokesman for The International Institute for Strategic Studies said it remains committed to holding the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in person, come early next month, adding that it will review its safe management measures in the light of yesterday's news.

The World Economic Forum special meeting is slated to take place from Aug 17 to 20.

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Review of PPE regime for front-line workers

The personal protection equipment (PPE) regime for front-line workers will be reviewed, starting in the hospitals before being extended to other sectors.

This is to better protect front-line workers from being exposed to variants of concern, said Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, the Ministry of Health's director of medical services.

He said provisional results showed that the early cases in relation to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Changi Airport clusters are associated with the B16172 strain.

"At this time, the assessment is not that they were lax in their compliance with the PPE regimes, but were placed in settings where there may have been exacerbating factors, there may have been a very high viral load, and there may have been issues with airflow and ventilation, which may have exacerbated spread of the virus to susceptible individuals," he said.

Likewise, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung, who takes over the health portfolio today, said the workers at Changi Airport were masked up and wearing PPE, though further studies must be conducted to understand if the virus could have been transmitted through the toilets or during meals.

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Public transport can be kept safe with measures

Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said public transport can be kept very safe with a range of measures taken by both the train operators and the cooperation of commuters.

He noted that the air on the train is being replenished every six minutes, notwithstanding the opening and closing of train doors.

Passengers can also reduce the risk of spread by keeping their masks on and refraining from talking.

Mr Ong said the current ridership on trains and buses is at about 70 per cent compared with before the pandemic.

"Where there is some crowding (on trains), it is often at a particular station and particular time, and one station later, it disperses," he said, adding that ridership is expected to fall further with the series of additional restrictions that will kick in from tomorrow, with work from home becoming the default.