New cluster: 7 family members of ICA officer diagnosed with Covid-19

Seven family members of a 38-year-old Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer who was earlier diagnosed with Covid-19 are confirmed to have the virus.

They are most likely to have been infected during a gathering on Sunday.

The Health Ministry (MOH) gave this update yesterday, adding that all seven had already been placed under quarantine when their diagnoses were confirmed.

The eight family members had gathered for a meal, and this was when transmission was likely to have taken place, MOH said.

The ICA officer, who works at Changi Airport Terminal 1 as a deputy team leader, had been one of the unlinked cases MOH announced on Wednesday.

The seven cases in the new family cluster, all of them Singaporean, include the officer's wife, 32, who is a nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

MOH said its investigations have not shown a link between her and the TTSH cluster, but the ongoing testing of all staff in the hospital's wards will be an additional check.

The officer's father, a 72-year-old retiree in the same household as the officer; a 65-year-old man who works as a telephone operator at Goodwood Park Hotel; and a 33-year-old housewife were also infected. The three of them were asymptomatic.

The other cases include a three-year-old nephew of the ICA officer; a 39-year-old man who works as a private hire driver and security officer at Ion Orchard mall; and a 38-year-old man who is a technical officer at SP PowerGrid. All three developed symptoms such as cough and fever on Wednesday.

ICA said yesterday that 32 of its officers at Changi Airport have been placed under a quarantine order, while about 100 will be tested for Covid-19 as a precaution.

The 32 officers were identified to have been in close contact with their infected colleague, ICA said.

The officer had been deployed at the duty officer counter and processed arrival clearance for travellers at Terminal 1.

ICA said he had earlier registered to be vaccinated, but was advised by a doctor that he was not eligible because of a drug allergy.

The officer was on medical leave last Saturday and Sunday for a cough, came down with fever on Monday, and went to TTSH for treatment on Tuesday.

Monday, when he came down with additional Covid-19 symptoms, was his day off, said ICA.

Noting that the majority of its jobs are front-line roles, ICA said that its officers, regardless of whether they are vaccinated, have to be rostered for front-line deployment.

As at April 1, 92 per cent of ICA officers deployed at Changi Airport have received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Common and staff areas that the officer would have come into contact with have been disinfected thoroughly, in accordance with National Environment Agency guidelines for cleaning and disinfection of areas exposed to confirmed cases of Covid-19.

The areas include the immigration counters, immigration offices, pantries and toilets, said ICA.