SINGAPORE - Join The Straits Times' senior health correspondent Salma Khalik and a panel of Singapore's top infectious diseases experts in an exclusive interview on whether the circuit breaker is helping to stop the chain of Covid-19 transmissions here.
The panel includes Professor Leo Yee Sin, executive director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Professor Dale Fisher, a senior infectious diseases expert at the National University Hospital (NUH).
SINGAPORE: If you need to go out and buy food or groceries, go alone. If you need to go out and exercise, go alone. If you need to leave your house, go alone.
That was the message from Singapore’s leaders, ministries and agencies on Tuesday (Apr 21) night as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced a four-week extension to the “circuit breaker”, aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. Originally scheduled to end on May 4, the circuit breaker period has been extended to Jun 1.
The multi-ministry task force also announced tighter measures on Tuesday, including trimming the list of essential services and introducing entry restrictions to several popular wet markets to thin out crowds.
In his remarks on Tuesday, Mr Lee urged people to stay at home as much as possible. Should they need to go out for the essentials, they should do so alone, he said.
"Go out alone, get what you need, and return home straightaway," said Mr Lee.
“Do your marketing on weekdays rather than weekends, and don’t bring your whole family with you for grocery shopping.”
He added in his Chinese remarks that only one person from each household should be away from home at any one time.
His comments were echoed by Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the task force.
He called on people to “minimise movement” and to continue to take precautions, such as wearing a mask, practising safe distancing, and not touching their faces.
“But the best way to beat the virus is to stay home,” he added.
“So if you need to go out – buy food, buy groceries – go out alone. Do not turn this into an occasion for a family outing.”
He said the task force is mindful that some people have difficulties being isolated at home.
“It is genuinely difficult. It can lead to social, emotional difficulties, which can all impact on people’s well-being and health. That’s why we allow people to go out for essential activities,” he explained.
“What we are saying is, when you go out, go out alone. Do what you need to do – run your errands, buy your food and groceries – and then come back as soon as possible.”
Under the tighter measures, people can still go out and exercise, but should do so alone and in the area where they live.
“If you need to go out and exercise, exercise alone and in your own neighbourhood,” Mr Wong said.
“Do not travel out to exercise. We call on everyone to do this because it is the best way to protect yourselves and your family members.”
Sport Singapore (SportSG) on Tuesday advised people to workout at home instead of going out.
Exercising outdoors is not encouraged, and those who do so should not linger after their exercise but return home immediately.
“Individuals may leave home to walk, run, cycle or engage in other similar exercise, alone, and in their immediate neighbourhoods, rather than travel unnecessarily to other parts of Singapore,” SportSG said.
Safe distancing measures must also be observed and masks must be worn at all times, unless doing strenuous exercise.
(Table: SportSG)
Car parks, convenience stores, and F&B outlets in gardens, parks and nature reserves are closed.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said while everyone must follow the circuit breaker measures “strictly”, they should also observe “the spirit” of the measures.
People who leave their homes should not do so in groups. “These trips are not meant to be family outings,” the health ministry said.
“We want to minimise the number of people out and about to reduce the chances of community transmission.
“We understand that some members of the public will need to be accompanied by a caregiver, for example, frail seniors, the disabled, and young children.
“We encourage everyone to adhere to the spirit of the guidelines to minimise movement, and complete their tasks and return to their homes quickly.”
The tighter measures will be in place for a two-week period from Tuesday until May 4.
The circuit breaker period will go on for another four weeks until Jun 1, and the task force may be able to gradually ease measures if there is a “significant decline” in local transmission numbers.
“Remember, it is not just about adhering to the letter of the law. The spirit of the guidelines is to reduce movement to a minimum, and to avoid being out and about in the community,” Mr Lee said.
“This is the way to protect yourself, your family and everyone else. So I hope everyone can cooperate and do your part.”
SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 1,111 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday (Apr 21), taking the national total to 9,125.
The vast majority of the new cases are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its release of preliminary figures.
Twenty cases are Singaporeans or permanent residents, and there are no imported cases.
A total of 1,050 new cases are foreign workers living in dormitories, while 33 are work permit holders residing outside dormitories, MOH said in its latest update.
"The main increase today continues to be for work permit holders residing in dormitories, where we are picking up many more cases because of extensive testing," it said, adding that most of the workers have a mild illness and none of them requires intensive care.
The number of new cases in the community has decreased from an average of 39 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 28 per day in the past week.
For unlinked cases in the community, the number has decreased slightly from an average of 21 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 20 per day in the past week.
"We will continue to closely monitor these numbers, as well as the cases detected through our surveillance programme," said MOH.
More cases are being detected among work permit holders residing outside dormitories; the number of such cases has increased from an average of 14 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 26 per day in the past week.
Of all the new cases, 66 per cent are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing.
Three new infection clusters have been identified by the ministry: The Jovell construction site (27 Flora Drive), Pesko Engineering (2 Joo Koon Road) and 5 Sungei Kadut Avenue.
Between Apr 14 and Apr 20, the ministry has uncovered links for 672 previously unlinked cases.
Thirteen previously confirmed cases have now been linked to a new cluster at The Jovell construction site.
The Pesko Engineering cluster is made up of 11 previously confirmed cases as well as 40 of the new cases announced on Tuesday.
Two of the newly confirmed cases are linked to 13 previous cases, forming a new cluster at 5 Sungei Kadut Avenue.
The health ministry also uncovered links between previously confirmed cases and existing clusters.
Topping the list is S11 Dormitory @ Punggol, which has 166 additional cases linked to it, taking its total to 2,143.
Sungei Tengah Lodge added 89 more cases to its cluster, which now has a total of 629 confirmed cases.
Fifty-nine more cases are linked to the cluster at Tuas View Dormitory, bringing its total to 519 confirmed cases.
MOH added that 39 more COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 839 have fully recovered from the infection.
Of the 3,593 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving, while 27 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
A total of 4,682 cases who are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.
The number of deaths due to COVID-19 remains at 11.
A summary of the cases is provided on the ministry's website.
A total of 19 foreign worker dormitories have been gazetted as isolation areas, following a recent spike in the number of COVID-19 cases among foreign workers in Singapore.
MOH on Monday said that it was "picking up many more cases" because of extensive testing.
"These are not new infections as the workers are staying in their rooms and many have not reported sick. But when the teams go in to test them, many turn out to be positive."
Most of them have a mild illness and are being monitored in community isolation facilities or general wards. None are in the intensive care unit, MOH added.
CIRCUIT BREAKER PERIOD EXTENDED
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Tuesday that Singapore will extend its circuit breaker period by four weeks to Jun 1, while implementing tighter measures to stem the spread of COVID-1.
More workplaces will be closed, the list of what was considered essential services has been tightened, and there will be additional entry restrictions at four popular markets based on the last digit of patrons' identification card numbers.
"These tighter measures will be in place minimally for a two-week period from Apr 21, 2020 until May 4, 2020 (inclusive)," said MOH in a media release.
SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 1,111 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday (Apr 21), taking the national total to 9,125.
The vast majority of the new cases are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its release of preliminary figures.
Twenty cases are Singaporeans or permanent residents, and there are no imported cases.
A total of 1,050 new cases are foreign workers living in dormitories, while 33 are work permit holders residing outside dormitories, MOH said in its latest update.
"The main increase today continues to be for work permit holders residing in dormitories, where we are picking up many more cases because of extensive testing," it said, adding that most of the workers have a mild illness and none of them requires intensive care.
The number of new cases in the community has decreased from an average of 39 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 28 per day in the past week.
For unlinked cases in the community, the number has decreased slightly from an average of 21 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 20 per day in the past week.
"We will continue to closely monitor these numbers, as well as the cases detected through our surveillance programme," said MOH.
More cases are being detected among work permit holders residing outside dormitories; the number of such cases has increased from an average of 14 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 26 per day in the past week.
Of all the new cases, 66 per cent are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing.
Three new infection clusters have been identified by the ministry: The Jovell construction site (27 Flora Drive), Pesko Engineering (2 Joo Koon Road) and 5 Sungei Kadut Avenue.
Between Apr 14 and Apr 20, the ministry has uncovered links for 672 previously unlinked cases.
Thirteen previously confirmed cases have now been linked to a new cluster at The Jovell construction site.
The Pesko Engineering cluster is made up of 11 previously confirmed cases as well as 40 of the new cases announced on Tuesday.
Two of the newly confirmed cases are linked to 13 previous cases, forming a new cluster at 5 Sungei Kadut Avenue.
The health ministry also uncovered links between previously confirmed cases and existing clusters.
Topping the list is S11 Dormitory @ Punggol, which has 166 additional cases linked to it, taking its total to 2,143.
Sungei Tengah Lodge added 89 more cases to its cluster, which now has a total of 629 confirmed cases.
Fifty-nine more cases are linked to the cluster at Tuas View Dormitory, bringing its total to 519 confirmed cases.
MOH added that 39 more COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 839 have fully recovered from the infection.
Of the 3,593 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving, while 27 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
A total of 4,682 cases who are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.
The number of deaths due to COVID-19 remains at 11.
A summary of the cases is provided on the ministry's website.
A total of 19 foreign worker dormitories have been gazetted as isolation areas, following a recent spike in the number of COVID-19 cases among foreign workers in Singapore.
MOH on Monday said that it was "picking up many more cases" because of extensive testing.
"These are not new infections as the workers are staying in their rooms and many have not reported sick. But when the teams go in to test them, many turn out to be positive."
Most of them have a mild illness and are being monitored in community isolation facilities or general wards. None are in the intensive care unit, MOH added.
CIRCUIT BREAKER PERIOD EXTENDED
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Tuesday that Singapore will extend its circuit breaker period by four weeks to Jun 1, while implementing tighter measures to stem the spread of COVID-1.
More workplaces will be closed, the list of what was considered essential services has been tightened, and there will be additional entry restrictions at four popular markets based on the last digit of patrons' identification card numbers.
"These tighter measures will be in place minimally for a two-week period from Apr 21, 2020 until May 4, 2020 (inclusive)," said MOH in a media release.
SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 1,111 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday (Apr 21), taking the national total to 9,125.
The vast majority of the new cases are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its release of preliminary figures.
Twenty cases are Singaporeans or permanent residents, and there are no imported cases.
A total of 1,050 new cases are foreign workers living in dormitories, while 33 are work permit holders residing outside dormitories, MOH said in its latest update.
"The main increase today continues to be for work permit holders residing in dormitories, where we are picking up many more cases because of extensive testing," it said, adding that most of the workers have a mild illness and none of them requires intensive care.
The number of new cases in the community has decreased from an average of 39 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 28 per day in the past week.
For unlinked cases in the community, the number has decreased slightly from an average of 21 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 20 per day in the past week.
"We will continue to closely monitor these numbers, as well as the cases detected through our surveillance programme," said MOH.
More cases are being detected among work permit holders residing outside dormitories; the number of such cases has increased from an average of 14 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 26 per day in the past week.
Of all the new cases, 66 per cent are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing.
Three new infection clusters have been identified by the ministry: The Jovell construction site (27 Flora Drive), Pesko Engineering (2 Joo Koon Road) and 5 Sungei Kadut Avenue.
Between Apr 14 and Apr 20, the ministry has uncovered links for 672 previously unlinked cases.
Thirteen previously confirmed cases have now been linked to a new cluster at The Jovell construction site.
The Pesko Engineering cluster is made up of 11 previously confirmed cases as well as 40 of the new cases announced on Tuesday.
Two of the newly confirmed cases are linked to 13 previous cases, forming a new cluster at 5 Sungei Kadut Avenue.
The health ministry also uncovered links between previously confirmed cases and existing clusters.
Topping the list is S11 Dormitory @ Punggol, which has 166 additional cases linked to it, taking its total to 2,143.
Sungei Tengah Lodge added 89 more cases to its cluster, which now has a total of 629 confirmed cases.
Fifty-nine more cases are linked to the cluster at Tuas View Dormitory, bringing its total to 519 confirmed cases.
MOH added that 39 more COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 839 have fully recovered from the infection.
Of the 3,593 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving, while 27 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
A total of 4,682 cases who are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.
The number of deaths due to COVID-19 remains at 11.
A summary of the cases is provided on the ministry's website.
A total of 19 foreign worker dormitories have been gazetted as isolation areas, following a recent spike in the number of COVID-19 cases among foreign workers in Singapore.
MOH on Monday said that it was "picking up many more cases" because of extensive testing.
"These are not new infections as the workers are staying in their rooms and many have not reported sick. But when the teams go in to test them, many turn out to be positive."
Most of them have a mild illness and are being monitored in community isolation facilities or general wards. None are in the intensive care unit, MOH added.
CIRCUIT BREAKER PERIOD EXTENDED
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Tuesday that Singapore will extend its circuit breaker period by four weeks to Jun 1, while implementing tighter measures to stem the spread of COVID-1.
More workplaces will be closed, the list of what was considered essential services has been tightened, and there will be additional entry restrictions at four popular markets based on the last digit of patrons' identification card numbers.
"These tighter measures will be in place minimally for a two-week period from Apr 21, 2020 until May 4, 2020 (inclusive)," said MOH in a media release.
SINGAPORE - Foreign workers living in dormitories continue to make up the majority of new coronavirus patients here, accounting for over 94 per cent of the 1,111 new cases announced on Tuesday (April 21).
A total of 1,050 of the new coronavirus cases are foreign workers living in dorms, as the total number of cases in Singapore crossed the 9,000 mark.
With the updated figures, nearly four in five of all the 9,125 coronavirus cases in Singapore now are foreign workers living in dormitories.
MOH said that it continues to pick up many more cases in dorms because of extensive testing. Most of these cases have a mild illness and are being monitored in community isolation facilities or the general wards of hospitals, it said. None of them is in the intensive care unit.
The ministry added that these cases from dorms are not new infections as the workers are staying in their rooms and many have not reported sick.
There were also three new coronavirus clusters announced on Tuesday: The Jovell construction site at Flora Drive in Tampines, Pesko Engineering on Joo Koon Road, and 5 Sungei Kadut Avenue.
The Jovell constuction site has 13 patients, Pesko Engineering has 51 patients, while 5 Sungei Kadut Avenue has 15 cases.
There were also cases added to many existing dormitory clusters, with the S11 Dormitory @ Punggol continuing to be the biggest cluster here with 2,143 patients now linked to it. The cluster alone accounts for about 23 per cent of all 9,125 cases in Singapore.
Among the new coronavirus cases outside of dorms, MOH said 20 are Singaporeans and permanent residents, while eight are work pass or long-term pass holders.
Another 33 new cases are work permit holders who did not live in dorms. There are no new imported cases.
Of the new cases, 66 per cent are linked to known clusters.
MOH also noted on Tuesday that the number of new cases in the community decreased to an average of 28 per day in the past week, from an average of 39 cases per day in the week before.
Meanwhile, the number of unlinked cases in the community decreased slightly from an average of 21 cases per day in the week before to an average of 20 cases per day in the past week.
However, the number of new cases among work permit holders outside dorms, had shot up to an average of 26 per day in the past week, from an average of 14 cases per day in the week before.
As of Tuesday, the prevalence of positive coronavirus cases in the community was 0.022 per cent, but it was 0.056 per cent among the 664,000 workers not living in dorms, and 2.2 per cent among the 323,000 foreign workers staying in dorms, which means 7,127 workers in dorms have the coronavirus.
The overall prevalence of the virus in Singapore is now 0.16 per cent.
MOH also said on Tuesday that 39 more patients were discharged from hospitals and isolation facilities. Since January, 839 patients have fully recovered and been discharged.
Of the 3,593 confirmed cases still in hospital, most are stable or improving, but 27 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Another 4,682 patients who are clinically well but still test positive for Covid-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities. Eleven have died from complications due to Covid-19.
