The number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore crossed the 36,000 mark on Wednesday (Jun 3) with 569 new infections confirmed as of noon.
This brings the total number of cases in the country to 36,405.
There were sevencases in the community, comprising one Singaporean, three work pass holders and three work permit holders, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).
The Singaporean patient, an 81-year-old woman, is an unlinked case.
She experienced onset of symptoms on May 29 and tested positive for the coronavirus on Jun 2. Epidemiological investigations are ongoing, said the ministry.
The other six community infections were all contacts of previous cases and had earlier been placed on quarantine.
Two new clusters have been identified at dormitories at 12 Kwong Min Road and 8 Tuas South Lane.
Meanwhile, the cluster at the dormitory at 1 North Coast Drive is now closed, as there have been no new cases linked to the dorm for the past two incubation periods, which is 28 days.
A total of 407 more patients have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 23,582, said MOH.
There are 334 cases still in hospital, most of whom are stable or improving. Five patients are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
The ministry added that there are 12,465 patients who have mild symptoms or are clinically well but are still testing positive for COVID-19. They are currently isolated and cared for at community care facilities.
Cases Among Pre-School Employees
MOH also gave an update on the proactive screening of more than 39,000 pre-school staff members.
One more serological test came back positive on Wednesday, indicating a likely past infection.
This means 13 pre-school staff members are likely to have been previously infected, based on epidemiological investigations, including their positive serological test results.
In all, 14 staff members had tested positive for COVID-19 based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Only one case was likely to be a current infection at the point of screening, as announced last week.
Businesses that operate in settings with lower transmission risks were allowed to reopen on Tuesday, as Singapore entered its first phase of reopening after the “circuit breaker” period.
Full hairdressing services, motor vehicle servicing, aircon servicing, printing, basic pet services and school bookshops were allowed to resume.
Pre-schools and early intervention centres also reopened for children in Kindergarten 1 and 2, with children in nursery level, infant care and playgroup to follow next week.
Some places of worship were also allowed to restart some services, such as marriage solemnisations and funerals, subject to a cap of 10 attendees.
People may now visit parents or grandparents, subject to a limit of two people and one visit per day. Parents may also drop off children with their grandparents for childcare, subject to the same limit.
Phase 2 could start before the end of June if the number of COVID-19 transmissions in the community remains low and stable, said Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong last week.
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