Next few days critical in fight against Covid-19: PM Lee

The next few days will be critical in Singapore's fight against the coronavirus, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday, as the number of new cases hit a daily high of 942, and new restrictions were announced on foreign workers in construction.

Twelve days into the circuit breaker, there are a few early signs that measures to reduce physical interaction among people are bringing cases down in the broader community, he said.

The number of local cases continued to dip, with 22 cases in the community - the lowest daily figure since the circuit breaker began.

"But we are still worried about hidden cases circulating in our population, which are keeping the outbreak going," PM Lee added.

"The next few days will be critical. All of us must do our part, in order to defeat Covid-19."

Singapore has 5,992 cases to date. Even so, close to 200 people were issued fines for flouting safe distancing measures yesterday, with more than 80 facing fines for not wearing a mask outside their homes. A man was charged in court for assaulting a safe distancing ambassador after being told not to loiter in public.

In migrant worker dormitories, where crowded living conditions and active testing have resulted in a sharp spike in the number of cases over the past week, efforts are under way to further break the chain of transmission.

From tomorrow, all work permit and S Pass holders in the construction sector will be put on a 14-day stay-home notice, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) yesterday.

While the recent rise in cases has been mostly concentrated in dormitories - there were 893 such cases reported yesterday, bringing the total to 4,162 - contact tracing suggests that transmission at common construction worksites may have contributed to the increase.

That is why MOM is taking the precautionary measure of getting all work permit holders and S Pass holders (mid-skilled workers) in the industry to stay home, along with their dependants.

There are more than 280,000 work permit holders in construction, most of whom are already quarantined in dorms.

Construction work has generally ceased here, except for that in progress for critical public infrastructure, maintenance and services.

Following the spike in coronavirus infections among foreign workers here, Malaysia said yesterday that it will also carry out mass testing for its foreign workers and is in the process of identifying high-risk groups and hot spots.

Meanwhile, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo assured workers here in a video message that anyone who tests positive for the virus will be taken care of.

Labour chief Ng Chee Meng also added in a separate post that the labour movement, together with the Migrant Workers' Centre, will "leave no stone unturned" to help migrant workers. They "have helped build our homes, and contributed in many other areas. In this time of crisis, it is only right that we too look after them", he said.

The measures to break the chain of transmission in dormitories will take some time to show results, PM Lee said. This means Singaporeans must expect to see more such cases for a while longer, "but we are building up our healthcare and isolation facilities to handle the load".

PM Lee said migrant workers who are ill are getting the medical treatment they need. "Fortunately, the vast majority of the cases are mild, because the workers are young. Our healthcare teams continue to monitor their conditions," he added.