SINGAPORE: The number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore topped 30,000 on Friday (May 22), with 614 new cases reported as of noon.
This brings the total number of cases in the country to 30,426.
There were four new cases in the community, all of them Singaporeans.
Two of the community cases are pre-school staff. Case 30387, a 58-year-old woman who is currently an unlinked case, went to work at My First Skool @ Westgate after she experienced onset of symptoms on May 8. She tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
The other case, a 50-year-old Singaporean woman, had not gone to work recently. MOH did not specify where she works. She also tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday.
Two other Singaporean men, aged 35 and 37, are contacts of Case 24831 and are part of the CDPL Tuas Dormitory cluster, which now has 617 cases.
Case 24831 was reported on May 13 and was deployed for operation duties at the dormitory.
“The number of new cases in the community has increased, from an average of five 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 MOH.
The ministry 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.
A total of 610 of the new cases are foreign workers living in dormitories, MOH said.
The ministry added that 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.
Two new clusters were identified. They are at 564 A-E Balestier Road and 71 Kaki Bukit Industrial Terrace.
READ: Singapore reports highest number of new COVID-19 cases among citizens or PRs in more than 3 weeks
A total of 838 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged. In all, 12,955 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.
There are currently 798 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.
A remaining 16,650 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.
To date, 23 have died in Singapore from complications due to COVID-19 infection.
READ: COVID-19: Four Singaporeans part of family linked to Cochrane Lodge II dormitory cluster
The People’s Association said on Thursday a third mask distribution exercise will begin on May 26, ahead of the easing of “circuit breaker” restrictions on Jun 1.
On Thursday, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung also addressed concerns by some parents about the reopening of schools on Jun 2.
After having brought community transmissions to a “low and controlled level”, school should resume with “many precautions”, he said, adding that attendance cannot be voluntary as that would affect students’ and teachers’ morale.
READ: Transition to a ‘new normal’ after circuit breaker: How will measures be lifted beyond Phase 1?
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