The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday (13 April) confirmed a record 386 new COVID-19 cases, as well as an additional death and four new clusters, bringing the total to 2,918 here.
The announcement also marks the fourth consecutive day with no imported cases and supersedes the previous single-day high of 287 cases announced last Thursday.
On Sunday, 32 more patients have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, bringing the total of recovered patients to 560.
Most of the 976 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while 31 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. A total of 988 cases who are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.
Eight have died from complications due to COVID-19 infection, including a 90-year-old Singaporean man who succumbed to the disease on Saturday.
At least 17 clusters linked to foreign worker dormitories have been identified thus far, including the largest cluster at S11 Dormitory@Punggol, which is linked to 365 cases.
Eight such dorms have been gazetted as isolation areas, including the newly confirmed cluster at Acacia Lodge and Cochrane Lodge II.
As of Sunday noon, the MOH has identified 28,140 close contacts who have been quarantined. Of these, 12,088 are currently quarantined, and 16,052 have completed their quarantine.
As of 7 April noon, 72,680 swab tests have been carried out, of which 47,486 of them involved unique individuals.
Measures to combat spread of coronavirus
The COVID-19 Temporary Measures Act, passed in Parliament on Tuesday, gives authorities the power to ban events and gatherings, or impose conditions on how they are conducted, during the “circuit breaker” period lasting till 4 May.
Those caught flouting these regulations will be fined $300 and subsequently face prosecution for repeated offences.
Under the Act, the penalty for first-time offenders is up to a $10,000 fine, a jail term of up to six months, or both. For second-time or subsequent offenders, the penalty is a fine of up to $20,000 along with a possible jail term of up to a year.
People who flout their five-day medical leave or stay-home notices and do not wear masks if they have to leave their place of accommodation to seek emergency medical treatment are also subjected to similar penalties.
Part of the “circuit breaker” measures – announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last Friday – include the closure of schools and most workplaces. Only essential services like food establishments, markets and supermarkets, transport, and key banking services will remain open during the month-long closure.
In a Good Friday address, Lee reiterated his call for Singaporeans to stay home, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in foreign worker dormitories as well as in the general population.
Over the weekend, the authorities issued a slew of measures, including the closure of beaches, facilities in parks and gardens and playfields.
Wearing masks was also made compulsory for commuters on public transport, as well as while those visiting supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, and shopping malls.
Stadiums have also been closed, while parents are not allowed to drop off their children with grandparents on a daily basis.
Separately, all Singapore residents and long-term pass holders returning from overseas apart from Hubei province must serve the 14-day stay-home notice, while those returning from Hubei must serve a 14-day quarantine.
All short-term visitors are barred from entering or transiting via Singapore.
On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced an additional $5.1 billion Solidarity Budget to help businesses, workers and households.
The government’s response to COVID-19 will total $59.9 billion, or about 12 per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product.
Over 1.8m cases globally
To date, there are over 1.8 million COVID-19 cases globally. More than 115,000 have died from the virus, with the US holding the record for the highest global death toll at over 22,000.
At over half a million cases, the country also holds the record of having the largest number of patients globally, followed by Spain at over 169,000 cases, Italy at over 156,000, followed by France at over 132,000.
China, where the virus originated, has over 82,000 cases and earlier last Tuesday reported no new coronavirus deaths for the first time since it started publishing figures in January.