10 Facts About the Bukit Merah View Food Centre Cluster That Could Lead to a Delay in Reopening

A recent study conducted in the Goody Feed office by cats showed that there were three main reasons for the seemingly random spikes in COVID-19 case numbers:

1. Celebrating the end of an outbreak
2. Making plans for dining out
3. Launching, discussing, reviewing, or even thinking about an air travel bubble with Hong Kong

If the number of infections has gone down drastically after an alarming outbreak and residents or the authorities engage in one of the three activities listed above, cases will start rising rapidly once again.

So, when we engaged in all three activities recently after we thought we had controlled our community outbreak, case numbers started shooting up.

This time, it isn’t’ a hospital or airport that has the authorities and residents worried, but a food centre.

If you’ve been doing research on the best places to dine out since Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) ended, here are 10 facts about the Bukit Merah View Market and Food Centre cluster.

It Was Identified Just 4 Days Ago

That’s right, the cluster at the now-famous market was identified on the very last day of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) – Sunday (13 June).

Is this a coincidence, or is the coronavirus messing with us?

The First Case Was a 74YO Man Who Worked at a Sundry Shop

The first case that was detected at the market was a 74-year-old Singaporean man who works at a sundry store at the market.

He was classed as an unlinked infection when reported as a COVID-19 case on 10 June.

He developed a cough on 8 June and sore throat on 9 June, and sought medical treatment at a GP clinic on the same day, where he underwent both an ART and PCR test.

Both tests returned positive results.

The man has been fully vaccinated, having received his first dose on 16 March and the second on 6 April.

An Average of Around 10 New Cases Have Been Added to the Cluster in the Last 3 Days

One of the many reasons the authorities are worried about this cluster is that it’s been growing at a rapid rate.

In the last three days, an average of 11 new cases have been added to the cluster.

10 new cases were added to the cluster on 14 June, 9 were added on 15 June, and another 14 were linked to the cluster yesterday.

It Now Has a Total of 39 Cases

In total, 39 of our community infections have been linked to the Bukit Merah View Market and Food Centre cluster.

It’s by no means our largest active cluster, as the Changi Airport Terminal 3 Cluster hasn’t been closed yet.

We don’t know how widespread the latest outbreak is, though, meaning infections linked to the market cluster could continue to rise.

Its Closure Was Supposed to Last 3 Days, But Was Extended by 11 Days

After several infections were linked to the market, the authorities closed it for three days so it could undergo deep cleaning

It was supposed to reopen yesterday (16 June) but since then, even more community cases have been linked to the market.

This prompted the authorities to extend the closure by another 11 days until 26 June.

All Staff & Tenants Working at the Market Have Been Quarantined

As they always do, the health ministry promptly placed all staff and tenants working at the market under quarantine.

It has also commenced special testing operations for all staff and tenants who have been working in 116 Bukit Merah View from 25 May.

MOH is Offering Free Testing to Members of Public Who Visited Market

But that’s not all.

As they’ve done with other clusters, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is also offering free testing COVID-19 testing to members of the public who had visited the shops at 115 and 116 Bukit Merah View between 25 May and 12 June as well.

All visitors at the specified times are advised to monitor their health closely and minimise social interactions as far as possible for 14 days from their last date of visit, MOH said.

Individuals who develop any COVID-19 symptoms should see their doctor immediately.

Stallholders at a Nearby Food Centre Have Also Been Tested

Because the coronavirus is greedier than a Singaporean during durian season, it wasn’t content with visiting just one food centre.

A confirmed COVID-19 case was found to have visited the Redhill Market and Food Centre, which is about a ten-minute walk from the Bukit Merah View Market.

As a result, all stallholders at the Redhill Market and Food Centre have undergone mandatory COVID-19 tests.

A hawker centre at Block 79 Telok Blangah Drive was also closed for three days after a hawker there tested positive for COVID-19.

It May Cause a Delay in Our Reopening

Here’s the part you won’t like: the fresh outbreak may cause a delay in the next stage of our reopening.

At least that’s what Finance Minister Lawrence Wong hinted at recently. Here’s what he said:

“We are now at stage 1 of our reopening. Stage 2 is scheduled next Monday (21 June). Unfortunately we now have new cases breaking out and a major new cluster in Bukit Merah,” he said.

“Given these developments, we are evaluating the timing and scope of the next stage of reopening. The MTF is studying the situation carefully with public health experts and will provide further updates soon.”

Whenever the word “evaluating” is used in relation to reopening, you know it’s bad.

Residents & Hawkers In Nearby Residential Areas Are Now Worried

Since COVID-19 cases have started popping up in Redhill and Telok Blangah after the cluster was detected at Bukit Merah View, some residents and hawkers in the surrounding areas are worried.

After all, the housing areas are pretty close to each other, and many residents are elderly folks who are vulnerable to the virus.

As one Bukit Merah View resident told TODAY just days after buying a takeaway lunch at the affected market: “It’s definitely scary to have (a cluster) right at your doorstep.”

Featured Image: Google Maps