3 Workers from Changi Airport & VJC Student Part of 7 Community Cases on 8 May

Slowly but surely, the situation is spiraling out of control.

As the number of community cases spread unapologetically, Singapore once again finds itself in nationwide peril, a scene that has not been seen since the infamous migrant worker clusters.

But the key difference here? Community cases weren’t quite as prevalent even then.

And to think that just a month before, Singaporeans were still enjoying a distinct lull period, and fantasizing ‘imminent’ travels to scenic and beautiful countries.

Indeed, like a chicken rice seller once said:

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

3 Workers from Changi Airport & VJC Student Part of 7 Community Cases on 8 May

8 May was another dreadful day to behold.

Or as someone once infamously said: “Umbrage“.

Apparently, there were 20 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection on 8 May 2021…

With seven hailing from the community.

The total number now stands at 61,331.

Two of the seven community cases are linked to prior cases.

The remaining five are said to be unlinked.

Amongst the community cases, three are workers at Changi Airport.

As a safety precaution, all staff deployed at Changi Airport Terminals 1 and 3 will be tested.

Another case is an 18-year-old Victoria Junior College student.

To curb any possible risk of transmission, 103 close contacts, which comprise of 95 students and eight staff members, have been placed under quarantine.

Some 2,200 students, staff, vendors and visitors of VJC will also be subjected to swab tests.

The school premises have since been cleaned and disinfected.

The remaining community cases on 8 May are a part-time GrabFood delivery man and two linked cases to the Pasir Panjang Terminal cluster.

Rising Rapidly

Compared to the week before, which had 37 community cases, the past week incurred a total of 43.

Unlinked cases are currently at 10 cases per week over the last two weeks.

New locations have also been added to a list of public places visited by confirmed cases:

These include Marsiling Market on 24 and 25 April, Haidilao Hot Pot at 313 Somerset on 25 April, Sheng Siong supermarket at 209 New Upper Changi Road on April 29 and more.

Meanwhile, 133 confirmed cases are currently in the hospital.

Two are situated in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Though 60,912 have reportedly made a full recovery, 31 have fallen to complications from the virus.

Another 255 are currently recovering in community facilities.

New Measures

In light of the reinvigorated threat, including a dangerous variant believed to hail from India, several new measures have been implemented in a bid to contain the latest outbreak.

Apart from a reduction in group size, fewer people are also allowed to go to the office.

Indoor gymnasiums and indoor fitness/ health studios have also been closed from 8 to 30 May. They are only allowed to stay open if activities are deemed to be low-intensity.

TraceTogether-only Safe Entry has also been brought forward to 17 May 2021, instead of the earlier stipulated date of 1 June 2021.

From 17 May 2021, scanning of SE-QR codes with the phone camera and Singpass App will be discontinued. To ease the transition, ID check-ins will be retained until 31 May 2021.

For more info, you can click here to read more.

Featured Image: Sing Studio/ Shutterstock.com