Three New Covid-19 Clusters In Already-Cleared Dormitories

By
Shawn Ambrose
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In early June, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made an announcement that simultaneously amazed the whole world and filled them with envy; they were coronavirus-free. 

Image: Giphy

The country lifted nearly all restrictions because there were no longer any confirmed cases in the community.

The whole world looked towards New Zealand as a source of inspiration, as they finally proved that Covid-19 can be defeated.

But then, just 24 days later, the country recorded two new cases, and while infections have been few, they are still being reported every day.

Unlike SARS and Ebola, Covid-19 seems to be a disease that we can’t easily defeat. And here in Singapore, we’ve had plenty of evidence to support that notion.

Three New Covid-19 Clusters In Already-Cleared Dormitories

On 19 Aug, the authorities declared that all dormitories have been cleared of Covid-19. That’s great news, right? The number of daily infections will soon go down to zero!

Except three new Covid-19 clusters were reported on Wednesday (2 Sept) in foreign worker dormitories that were previously cleared of the disease.

Image: Giphy

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has identified new cases at Toh Guan Dormitory, Changi Lodge II, and North Coast Lodge, according to CNA.

Two new infections from Toh Guan Dormitory were linked to five previous cases, forming a new cluster. The dormitory was previously declared cleared of Covid-19 on 8 Aug by MOH.

Changi Lodge II, which was declared cleared of Covid-19 on 18 Jul, was linked to six cases, forming the second dormitory cluster.

A new cluster was also reported at North Coast Lodge, which was linked to seven cases. North Coast Lodge was cleared of Covid-19 on 14 Aug.

Now, if you’re thinking, okay lah, single-digit, just note that previously, a few thousand migrant workers were marched back into isolation because of one new Covid-19 case.

But wait, if all the dormitories had been cleared, how were these infections detected?

One Word: Routine Testing

Reader: That’s two words.

Last week, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo explained that new coronavirus cases found at dormitories were a result of routine testing.

In fact, there are three groups of workers who are required to undergo rostered routine testing every 14 days. These include:

  • workers who are staying in dormitories
  • workers in the construction, marine and process sectors
  • workers going into the worksites

Employees also have to ensure their workers have completed a Covid-19 swab test in the past 14 days by Saturday, according to CNA.

If not, this could happen to them.

Popular Malls & Sentosa Attractions Visited by Covid-19 Patients

Meanwhile, several popular malls and attractions at Sentosa were added on Wednesday to MOH’s list of places visited by infectious Covid-19 patients.

These include:

  • Apple Orchard Road
  • Cineleisure Orchard
  • Lucky Plaza
  • Universal Studios Singapore
  • Skyline Luge Sentosa
  • Vivocity

These places have been thoroughly disinfected, so there’s no need to cancel your weekend plans at Sentosa.

Those who visited these places at the same time are advised to monitor their health for the next two weeks, and see a doctor if they’re unwell.

You can view MOH’s full list of locations and times here.

49 new infections were reported on Wednesday, bringing our total to 56,901.

Three of them were cases in the community, and all were unlinked. Close contacts of the cases have been isolated and placed on quarantine.

Three imported cases and migrant workers living in dormitories made up the remaining 46 infections.

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]