SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 383 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Tuesday (May 26), taking the country’s total number of infections to 32,343. 

A total of 381 of the new cases are work permit holders residing in dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its daily update.

The lower number of cases reported on Tuesday was partly due to fewer tests being conducted, MOH said. This is the second consecutive day where fewer tests have been conducted.

MOH said it continues to pick up many cases among work permit holders residing in dormitories, including in factory-converted dormitories, because of extensive testing in these premises, as part of its process to verify and test the status of all workers.

No new cluster was reported for a third consecutive day. 

PRE-SCHOOL STAFF MEMBER TESTS POSITIVE

There were two new community cases among the 383 cases. 

This includes a 30-year-old Singaporean woman who worked at a pre-school. She was asymptomatic and was picked up as a result of proactive screening of pre-school staff members. 

MOH did not specify where she works and her case is currently unlinked. She is the 12th pre-school employee to have tested positive for COVID-19 since screening began on May 15.

READ: S$33b Fortitude Budget aimed at providing jobs, supporting workers and firms through ‘difficult period’ of COVID-19

The other community case, a 23-year-old Malaysian man, was asymptomatic and was picked up as a result of proactive screening of work permit holders working at institutes of higher learning. MOH did not specify where the man works and his case is currently unlinked. 

“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. 

“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,” said the ministry.

MOH added that the number of unlinked cases in the community has remained stable at an average of two per day in the past two weeks. 

Of the new cases, 99 per cent are linked to known clusters. Further details can be found in MOH’s daily situation report. 

Cases in the community visited the FairPrice Xtra outlet at Jurong Point shopping centre from 1pm to 2pm on Sunday as well as the wet market at Block 963 Jurong West Street 91 from 6am to 8am on Sunday during their infectious period. 

READ: Fortitude Budget: Additional S$800 million set aside for COVID-19 Support Grant; S$100 one-off utilities credit

On Monday, MOH for the first time released a list of public places visited by community COVID-19 cases for more than 30 minutes, naming Jurong Point’s NTUC FairPrice supermarket and Japanese food street as the first two locations.

People who were in the locations at the timings specified in the list should monitor their health closely for 14 days from the date of their visit, MOH said.

Those who have been identified as close contacts of confirmed cases would already have been notified, the ministry added.

The list will be updated on a rolling 14-day basis – the length of one incubation cycle.

706 MORE CASES DISCHARGED

A total of 706 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged. In all, 16,444 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.

There are currently 585 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving while eight are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 

READ: Various measures in place to help home owners affected by construction delays: Lawrence Wong

Another 15,291 patients are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are people who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19. 

As of Tuesday, there are more people who have recovered from COVID-19 than active cases.

To date, 23 people have died have from complications due to COVID-19 infection.

FOURTH BUDGET 

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Tuesday unveiled a new S$33 billion Budget focused on providing jobs and helping to tide workers and businesses through the “difficult period” of COVID-19.

The Fortitude Budget, which is Singapore’s fourth of the year, comes as the nation prepares to exit its circuit breaker on Jun 1 and progressively lift measures in three phases from Jun 2.

“As we open up progressively, we will continue to give more support to businesses which are not yet ready to reopen, and workers who are still unable to resume work. The key is to reopen safely, and this needs to be done carefully,” said Mr Heng in Parliament. 

The country has to “move cautiously” as it exits the circuit breaker, as there are still “hidden cases” of infection circulating among the general population, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong warned on Monday.

He cited the number of pre-school staff members who have tested positive for the virus through a mass proactive testing exercise of all pre-school employees.

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SINGAPORE: A wet market at Jurong West Street 91 and the NTUC FairPrice Xtra supermarket at Jurong Point shopping centre have been added to a list of public places visited by COVID-19 cases.

As part of its daily update on Tuesday (May 26), the Ministry of Health (MOH) has provided information on the places COVID-19 cases had visited during their infectious period.

Details are stated in the table below:

The NTUC FairPrice grocery store and a Japanese “food street”, both at Jurong Point, were listed on Monday, the first time MOH released such a list.

The health ministry said on Monday the list includes public places COVID-19 cases had visited for more than 30 minutes.

“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.

“They should see a doctor promptly if they develop symptoms of acute respiratory infection (such as cough, sore throat and runny nose), as well as fever and loss of taste or smell, and inform the doctor of their exposure history.”

Those who had been identified as close contacts of confirmed cases would already have been notified, the ministry said.

READ: Singapore reports 383 new COVID-19 cases, including 12th pre-school staff member

The list will be updated on a rolling 14-day basis to cover one incubation period and as epidemiological investigations progress, MOH added.

It excludes the cases’ residence, workplaces, healthcare facilities and public transport. 

Singapore reported 383 new cases of COVID-19 as of noon on Tuesday, including a pre-school staff member and a work permit holder who works at an institute of higher learning.

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SINGAPORE: Flash floods were reported in several parts of Singapore on Apr 30, as “intense rainfall” had overwhelmed the capacity of roadside drains, said Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli.

Thundery showers were recorded over Paya Lebar, Punggol and Hougang, he said.

“The total rainfall of 128.4mm that day was one of the highest daily rainfall ever recorded in Singapore over the past 30 years,” added Mr Masagos on Tuesday (May 26).

He was responding to a parliamentary question from Member of Parliament for Potong Pasir Sitoh Yih Pin, who had asked for the reason for recent flash floods in several areas in Singapore.

Sennett Estate, which is located in his ward, was one of the areas affected “despite the drainage system being recently expanded”, said Mr Sitoh. He also asked about PUB’s plans to further tackle flash flooding.

In his written reply, Mr Masagos said: “As the capacity of roadside drains were overwhelmed by the intense rainfall, flash floods resulted at locations such as Upper Paya Lebar Service Road, Lorong Gambir, Tampines Road, Serangoon Avenue 2 and Lichi Avenue (which is close to Sennett Estate).

“These flash floods lasted between 10 to 30 minutes.”

Noting that Sennett Estate “is a low-lying area and prone to flooding”, the minister said that PUB progressively upgraded the drains serving the estate between 2006 and 2015.

Works are still ongoing to upgrade the remaining stretches of drains in the estate. 

“When completed in 2021, flood protection for Sennett Estate will be further enhanced,”  said Mr Masagos.

SANDBAGS AND FLOOD PANELS

During the floods on Apr 30, sandbags were provided by PUB officers who were on site with affected residents.

Flood panels were also loaned to residents and businesses by the national water agency. These panels can be set up quickly during a flash flood, and have been used since the start of the monsoon season in 2019, said the minister.

“These flood panels were used by one of the residents during the Apr 30 rainstorm, who found them effective in preventing water from entering his home,” Mr Masagos said.

READ: PUB to deploy new portable flood protection devices for northeast monsoon season

As part of PUB’s efforts to address the impact of climate change, the agency has raised drainage design standards to cater to higher rainfall intensity in 2011, the minister said.

Almost S$2 billion in drainage works have been done, with another S$190 million this year to enhance Singapore’s flood resilience.

Some of the works that have been completed include the S$27 million upgrading of the Tampines Canal, which stretches between Hougang Avenue 1 to Hougang Avenue 7.

Completed in March 2019, it has successfully reduced the flood area by 86 per cent, including a large section of Tampines Road, hydraulic analysis showed.

“As a result, the flash flood on Apr 30 was confined to a localised road depression at the junction of Tampines Road and Hougang Avenue 1,” Mr Masagos said.

“PUB will study the feasibility of raising the depressed road junction.”

Work in the low-lying Upper Paya Lebar Service Road area is ongoing to divert stormflow from existing drains to larger new drains.

Due to be completed in 2021, it will further improve flood protection in the area, the minister said. 

Drains serving Serangoon Avenue 2 and Lorong Gambir will also be upgraded, and work is expected to start in the next two years.

READ: NDR 2019 – It could cost S$100 billion or more to protect Singapore against rising sea levels, PM Lee says

“While PUB will continue with efforts to improve drainage systems, it is not practical to expand our drains to meet every extreme rainfall event in land-scarce Singapore,” said Mr Masagos.

PUB will also put in place other “cost-effective measures” to minimise flood risks and better manage flood events, such as “upgrading its rainfall forecasting radar technology, which will help improve prediction of locations where heavy rainfall might occur and enhance its response time to potential flash floods”, he added.