Singapore reported 1,426 new COVID-19 cases on Monday (Apr 20), bringing the national total to 8,014.
The “vast majority” of the new cases are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its media release of preliminary figures.
Sixteen new cases are Singaporeans or permanent residents.
“We are still working through the details of the cases, and further updates will be shared via the MOH press release that will be issued tonight,” said the ministry.
A total of 18 foreign worker dormitories have been gazetted as isolation areas, as the number of COVID-19 cases there continues to rise.
As of Sunday, the cluster at S11 Dormitory @ Punggol remained the biggest, with 1,508 confirmed cases. The next biggest cluster was at Sungei Tengah Lodge, with 521 confirmed cases.
All work permit holders and S Pass holders in the construction sector have been placed on mandatory stay-home notices until May 4 as a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) noted that while the recent rise in number of foreign workers infected with the coronavirus has mostly been concentrated in dormitories, there have been cases at construction worksites.
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