Minister Wong: Expect More Dormitory-Related COVID-19 Cases As More Tests Are Done

The number of coronavirus outbreaks at dormitories have been alarming.

However, the ministry has assured us time and time again that they’ve got a plan to get control of the dormitory clusters.

That being said, this doesn’t mean that the number of foreign dormitory cases will ease up instantly.

Because there’s no magic solution to it.

It’ll Take Some Time To See Progress 

Minister Larence Wong acknowledged in a Facebook post that the number of work permit and dormitory-related cases have increased sharply.

Yup, that we know.

He also said that the number is “likely to continue going up” especially as more foreign workers at the dormitories are awaiting their test results following “aggressive testing”.

“The number of work permit and dormitory-related cases has increased sharply, and this is likely to continue going up, especially as we undertake more aggressive testing of workers at the dormitories.”

He also said that it’ll take some time before the measures implemented will pay off, but assured that they have a “comprehensive strategy” in place.

“As I had shared earlier, we have a comprehensive strategy to take care of our foreign workers and contain the virus in the dorms. This will take some time, but we are going all out to tackle this.”

He encouraged the rest of us Singaporeans to press on and stay home as much as possible, minimise contact with others and break the chain of transmission in our community.

In other words, follow the CB rules.

Minister Wong: Expect More Dormitory-Related COVID-19 Cases As More Tests Are Done

Lest you’re unaware, on 5 April 2020, Singapore began to isolate foreign worker dormitories.

On 12 April, the Ministry of Health (MOH) declared two more dormitories as isolation areas.

Those staying at isolated dormitories would not be able to go to work.

Food and essential supplies will be sent to them, and they’ll still be paid as per usual as the authorities would give $100 daily quarantine allowance to employers for each worker.

Workers who are healthy and working in essential services, on the other hand, will be located elsewhere, according to Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong.

Two such locations include floating hotels in Singapore that look like cruise ships.

As of now, 7 out of 43 dormitories in Singapore are now being isolated.

Timeline of Infections

My colleague has kindly provided a snapshot of the daily COVID-19 cases over the past few days:

5 Apr 2020: 120 Covid-19 cases; 76 of them are long-term pass holders, with “significant numbers” related to the S11 Dormitory in Punggol and Westlite Toh Guan dormitory near Jurong East

6 Apr 2020: 66 Covid-19 cases; out of 65 local cases, 24 of them were linked to clusters at foreign worker dormitories

7 Apr 2020: 106 Covid-19 cases; 45 are linked to clusters at foreign worker dormitories

8 Apr 2020: 142 cases with many of them linked to clusters at foreign worker dormitories

9 Apr 2020: 287 cases with a majority of them linked to foreign workers dormitories; at least 160 cases are linked to S11 @ Punggol dormitory

11 Apr 2020: 191 Covid-19 cases found with 119 of them unlinked; 3 new clusters found at dormitories

You can tell that a large number of these new cases involve foreign workers and stem from dormitory clusters (those unlinked ones could be due to foreign workers dormitories).

Even though measures have been taken to clamp down on these infections and the dreary living conditions at the dormitories that led to them, don’t expect them to go down to zero just yet.

Stay safe everyone, and hang on.

You can see the full post below.

Continue to practise safe distancing because no one wants the CB period to come to a waste, right?

BMT Recruits: Wrong.

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