Ever since Singapore started easing on border restrictions, we’ve been dealing with what some people call “the third wave of imported Covid-19 cases”.
When the third wave was reported three weeks ago, it was mentioned that most cases came from India.
Now, another country is added to the list: the Philippines.
Most Imported Cases Since S’pore Re-Opened Its Borders Are From India and the Philippines
According to ST, 8 in 10 imported cases detected since 19 June 2020 are from India or the Philippines.
There are two reasons for this.
The first is that both countries are currently experiencing a spike in Covid-19 infections.
According to Worldometer, India has more than 2.9 million Covid-19 cases with over 54,000 deaths.
The Philippines has more than 178,000 cases with over 2,800 deaths.
The second is that people from these countries make up a huge bulk of our foreign workforce.
A Small Percentage Of Travellers
The Ministry of Health (MOH) also gave some figures that might put your mind at ease
While we have seen a definite increase in the number of imported cases being reported on a daily basis, it’s actually a small percentage of the number of travellers.
Singapore has received more 83,000 travellers into the country via the sea, the land and the air between 18 Jun and 6 August.
During the same period, 152 imported cases were reported.
They also managed to catch all of these cases during their mandatory Stay-Home-Notice period before they were released into the general Singapore population.
Why Only Swab After 14 Days?
Now, if you’re a conspiracy theorist, you’ll probably wonder if the authorities are trying to make a quick buck by forcing travellers into staying at dedicated facilities and charging them for it.
If not, why not just swab them at the start and be done with it?
That’s because the coronavirus has an average incubation period of five to six days, MOH explains.
So if a person was to be infected with Covid-19 just a day before entering Singapore, he could test negative and waltz off to the nearest coffee shop and start infecting everyone in a “Covid-Party“.
So to be safe, they’re all kept somewhere out of the way for 14 days and tested at the end of their stay.
The Only Exception: Malaysia
So far, the only country to have a shorter SHN is Malaysia, where they only need to be isolated for seven days instead of the usual 14.
It’s still safe, the task force insisted, because it’s longer than the average incubation period and Malaysia has a “lower prevalence of Covid-19 transmission”.
Incidentally, there is no reported imported case from Malaysia at all during this period.
It was added that this is a trial, and if it works, they’re going to roll it out to more “low-risk” countries.
Which is probably not India or the Philippines.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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