90 People At Nursing Home Tested For Covid-19 After Ex-Employee Confirmed To Be Infected

In addition to getting more space between you and loud popcorn-crunchers at the cinema, safe distancing rules have greatly aided our bid to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

If you were a certain organiser for a certain badminton group session, you may not be a fan of the regulations, since it tears you apart from your fellow players.

But let’s face it, if the government left us to our own devices, we would be hugging and kissing random strangers on the streets, as we used to do before the pandemic.

Reader: I think that’s just you, actually

These rules are especially advantageous when implemented in a place filled with those most vulnerable to the disease, like old age homes.

90 People At Nursing Home Tested For Covid-19 After Ex-Employee Confirmed To Be Infected

Even though they were in contact with an ex-staff member, 90 employees and residents at the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home all tested negative for Covid-19, reported The Straits Times.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said it had been informed that a staff member who previously worked at the home had tested positive for Covid-19 on 30 Aug in the Philippines.

Even though she had not exhibited any symptoms up till her last day on 26 Aug, MOH and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) worked with the Lee Ah Mooi home to test all 90 workers and residents who were identified as possible contacts.

One Visitor a Day Allowed For Nursing Homes

After the Covid-19 outbreak in Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home back in April, visitors were barred from nursing homes across the country.

But the government eased this restriction after the country shifted to Phase 2, and now residents can have one visitor a day.

According to CNA, nursing homes are also required to have dedicated visitation areas and implement safe distancing rules.

It looks like these rules may just have saved some lives.

Three Unlinked Covid-19 Cases Reported on Monday

Yesterday (31 Aug), we received some good and bad news.

The good news is that 41 new infections were reported, only 3 of which were community cases.

The bad news is that they are all unlinked. 

All three of them were asymptomatic and were detected as a result of MOH’s routine testing of workers in the construction, marine and process industries.

All close contacts of the three unlinked cases have been placed on quarantine.

There were also seven imported cases, six of whom are Singaporeans or Permanent Residents who returned to Singapore from India or Malaysia between 17 and 19 Aug.

The remaining case is a Work Permit holder in Singapore who arrived from India on 19 Aug.

While the number of unlinked community cases has remained stable at an average of one case daily in the past two weeks, the number of new community cases has increased from an average of two to three daily in the past week.

This shouldn’t be taken lightly of course.

The situation is improving, but we can’t become complacent and claim victory too soon unless you want to give up steaming hot Prata at the coffee shop and bubble tea all over again.