Singapore reported 344 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Monday (May 25), including three pre-school staff members.
One of them, a 25-year-old Singaporean woman who was asymptomatic, had gone to work at Learning Vision @ NUHS.
The other two, a 23-year-old Singaporean woman and a 44-year-old Chinese national, had not gone to work recently, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).
These three cases were picked up as a result of proactive screening of all pre-school employees.
They were among six new community cases reported on Monday, comprising four Singaporeans and permanent residents, as well as two work permit holders.
One of them is a six-year-old Singaporean girl who is a household contact of Case 30385 and 31141, linked to the CDPL Tuas Dormitory cluster. Case 30385 is a 37-year-old man linked to the person who was deployed for operation duties at the dormitory.
Of the new community cases on Monday, only one case – the 23-year-old pre-school employee – is unlinked. A summary of the community cases can be found on the MOH website.
“The number of new cases in the community has increased, from an average of four cases per day in the week before, to an average of seven per day in the past week,” said MOH.
“This is partly due to our active surveillance and screening of nursing home residents and pre-school staff, which have picked up more cases in the past week.”
The total tally of COVID-19 cases in Singapore now stands at 31,960.
Of the 344 new cases, 338 are foreign workers residing in dormitories.
Fewer tests conducted among foreign workers
The ministry also noted that the lower number of cases reported on Monday is partly due to fewer tests being conducted.
Of the new cases, 99 per cent are linked to known clusters while the rest are pending contact tracing.
No new clusters were reported on Monday for the second straight day.
A total of 862 more patients have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 15,738 have fully recovered from the infection, said MOH.
There are currently 607 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and eight are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Another 15,592 cases are isolated and being cared for at community facilities. These are patients who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.
List of public places visited by community cases
MOH also released for the first time a list of the public places visited by community COVID-19 cases for more than 30 minutes.
The NTUC FairPrice supermarket at Jurong Point and the Shokutsu Ten Japanese Food Street at the same mall were named in its list on Monday.
“As a precautionary measure, persons who had been at these locations during the specified timings should monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit,” said MOH.
It added that the list will be updated on a rolling 14-day basis, which covers one incubation period.
Gear up or gamble?
Singapore is gearing up for the end of its “circuit breaker” period next week.
Elevated social distancing measures will be progressively lifted in three phases starting Jun 2, with the resumption of economic activities that do not pose a high risk of transmission in the first phase.
Pre-schools will also gradually reopen from Jun 2, starting with children from kindergarten levels.
Students from graduating cohorts in the primary and secondary levels will also be allowed to return to school on weekdays, while other cohorts will rotate weekly, alternating between home-based learning and returning to school for lessons.
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