Coronavirus: Singapore/New Zealand
Students and staff get swabbed at Edgefield Secondary School
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Students arriving at Edgefield Secondary School in Punggol to get tested for Covid-19 yesterday, after a student at the school recently tested positive. A Ministry of Education spokesman said 99 per cent of students, staff and external vendors scheduled for swab testing completed their tests yesterday.
ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
Ong Wee Jin, Wong Shiying
A swabbing exercise has begun at Edgefield Secondary School, where a student recently tested positive for Covid-19.
Dozens of students, teachers, staff and vendors were seen queueing in the school in Punggol at around 1pm yesterday to get their swab test.
They arrived at staggered timings and were seen observing safe distancing measures while waiting their turn. Personnel wearing full personal protective equipment were also seen in the school.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, a Ministry of Education (MOE) spokesman said 99 per cent of students, staff and external vendors scheduled for swab testing completed their tests yesterday. MOE did not say how many were swabbed.
The Ministry of Health said on Saturday night that the 15-year-old student from the school had developed a sore throat on Wednesday. She also developed a runny nose and lost her sense of smell the following day. She reported sick while in school on Thursday and was tested for Covid-19 at a general practitioner clinic.
Her test result came back positive on Friday and she was taken to the National University Hospital in an ambulance. Her case is currently unlinked.
MOE also announced on Saturday that Edgefield Secondary School will shift to home-based learning this week.
The ministry said the reason for the move to full home-based learning - from tomorrow until Friday - is that it would take time to complete and receive the results of the Covid-19 swab tests.
