Another Person Was Infected After Boarding Ship That Stopped in S’pore for Repairs & Refuelling

By
Boon Hun
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You’ve probably heard about the recent ship vessel which contributed a lot to our imported cases count.

In the past week, 15 Filipino crew members that arrived in Singapore on a ship from India have tested positive for Covid-19.

All 15 had worked on the same vessel for repairs and refuelling, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

The first four cases were reported on 13 Aug (Thursday) and the remaining 11 cases were reported on Saturday (15 Aug).

This includes one work pass holder who had boarded the vessel between 8 Aug and 12 Aug for essential repair and maintenance work.

The vessel arrived in Singapore on 8 Aug, and the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported the first four cases on Thursday (13 Aug).

But if you thought that’s the end of the matter, think again.

Another Person Was Infected After Boarding Ship That Stopped in S’pore for Repairs & Refuelling

While Covid-19 hangs over everyone around the world, normal life must go on.

Covid-19 running rampant throughout a ship? Repairs must still be made.

And that was how a second technician, a work permit holder, was infected with the coronavirus.

According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), the 47-year-old Malaysian work permit holder is one of two community cases reported on 16 Aug 2020.

He had gone on board the vessel on 9 Aug to carry out essential repair and maintenance work.

After the outbreak of positive results, he was placed on quarantine and swabbed as a precaution even though he was not showing symptoms.

Precautionary Measures Proved Valuable

According to CNA, ship crew members and passengers arriving in Singapore for short-term visits have not been allowed to disembark since 23 March, unless they have special prior approval from the MPA.

Fortunately, even though some were asymptomatic, all the crew members on this particular ship were swabbed for Covid-19 on the ship, where they stayed until their results came back.

We’re clearly not taking any chances.

The reason why they were tested was that they were close contacts of previous cases, said MOH.

Once their results came back positive, they were taken by ambulances to the hospital.

The remaining 22 crew members are currently quarantined on ]the ship, and provisions are lifted up to the ship to minimise contact.

Details On Remaining Cases Reported on 16 Aug 2020

The other community case reported on 16 Aug 2020 is a 48-year-old Singaporean who is a contact of a previously-confirmed case.

There were also 6 new imported cases reported:

  • A 30-year-old Singaporean who arrived back in Singapore from Indonesia on 4 Aug
  • A 31-year-old Filipino work permit holder who returned from the Philippines on 4 Aug
  • There are three dependant’s pass holders including a 5-year-old girl and a 27-year-old woman from India and a 34-year-old Filipino who arrived from the Philippines on 4 Aug
  • The single student’s pass holder is a 23-year-old Russian man who arrived in Singapore from Russia on 4 Aug

All of them have been placed on Stay-Home-Notice (SHN) upon arrival in Singapore, MOH reveals.

Foreign workers living in dormitories make up a vast majority of the cases.

The average number of community cases in the community and unlinked cases remains stable at two per day and one per day respectively.

Simply put, we’re doing really well at following the rules and community transmission is still controllable.

So while 44% of you might be sick and tired of the rules, we’ll still have to follow them so we don’t end up like Hong Kong or New Zealand.

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Boon Hun
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