Government has imposed Code Red measures without calling the situation Code Red

[jw5]

from msn news:

COVID-19: Some places in 9 malls, 3 mosques and 1 church to be closed for two days – MTF

SINGAPORE — As early as this weekend, several public places, including places of worship and those in nine malls, will be closed for two days for cleaning and to facilitate the testing of staff there for COVID-19.

These places, which were visited by 13 infectious community cases linked to a new coronavirus cluster at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), include:

- 3 mosques: Masjid Hajjah Fatimah, Masjid Al-Falah, Masjid Abdul Hamid Kg Pasiran

- 1 church:**** City Harvest Church at Jurong West

- Places within 9 shopping malls: AMK Hub, Orchard Central, Junction 8, VivoCity, Esplanade Xchange, Bugis +, Bugis Junction, 100AM, 313 Somerset

Places visited within the shopping malls include an arcade – Paco Funworld Bugis + – as well as three NTUC FairPrice/FairPrice Xtra outlets at Toa Payoh Hub, Kitchener Complex, and VivoCity, respectively. The full list, which has not been finalised, is as follows:

Surveillance testing for discharged TTSH patients, and more
The MOH said it will also carry out surveillance testing for patients who had been discharged from, and visitors to, TTSH on or after 18 April; as well as individuals who had been to or who work at the public places that the TTSH cluster cases had visited during their infectious period.

"Healthcare institutions have also been reminded to closely monitor patients who were previously admitted at the TTSH from 18 April," said the ministry.

"While close contacts of the confirmed cases who are at higher risk of infection have already been identified through contact-tracing, the MOH is offering tests to the aforementioned groups of individuals to pre-emptively mitigate any potential risk of wider, undetected community transmission."

The ministry also advised all visitors and patients who were at the TTSH since 18 April to monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit. They are "strongly encouraged" to visit a regional screening centre (RSC) or public health preparedness clinic (PHPC) for a government-funded swab test, it added.

Starting from 3 May through 16 May, these individuals may book an appointment for a free COVID-19 PCR test at any of the “Swab and Send Home” (SASH) PHPCs islandwide or walk in to one of the following four RSCs:

1. Former Da Qiao Primary School, 8 Ang Mo Kio Street 54, S(569185);
2. Former Shuqun Secondary School, 450 Jurong East Street 21, S(609604);
3. Former Coral Primary School, 20 Pasir Ris Street 51, S(518902);
4. Former Bishan Park Secondary School, 2 Sin Ming Walk S(575565).

"We strongly encourage all individuals in the identified groups to come forward for testing. Individuals will only need to bring along their photo identification, and inform the PHPC or RSC staff of the date and time they were at TTSH or the specified public places. The cost of these tests will be fully borne by the government," said the MOH.

These announcements come on the same day the MOH confirmed an additional four cases linked to a fully vaccinated nurse at the TTSH, bringing the total linked cases in the cluster to 13.

The new "case 62541" cluster, named after the 46-year-old Filipina's case number, includes at least one fully-vaccinated doctor and six patients, with the oldest aged 94.

Both Ward 9D and 7D, general wards where both infected staff and patients had been, have since been locked down. All close contacts of the identified cases, including patients, visitors and staff who have been in the affected wards, have also been placed on quarantine

In lieu of the growing cluster, the hospital has been testing all TTSH staff and patients who were in TTSH Main Block Levels 3 to 13 from 18 to 28 April.

It also has stepped up clinical surveillance of all inpatients who may develop fever and ARI symptoms, as well as restrict movement of healthcare workers in the hospital, including the suspension of all healthcare student postings at TTSH and non-essential trainings.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Covid-19 measures creep in once more, public urged to cap social gatherings at two a day


Singapore — Safety measures are being stepped up again to contain the spread of community cases following a Covid-19 spike in March and April.

At a press conference on Friday (Apr 30), Education Minister Lawrence Wong outlined the measures that will be implemented from May 1 through May 14.

Singaporeans are being urged to have no more than two social gatherings a day, according to a Straits Times online report.


Malls and large standalone stores have their occupancy limit reduced to one person per 10 sq m of gross floor area, down from one person per 8 sq m.

Odd and even date entry restrictions on Sundays will be reinstated for popular malls such as Lucky Plaza and Peninsula Plaza.

Outdoor barbecue pits and campsites will be closed to the public.

From May 7 to May 14, all attractions that received prior approval from the Ministry of Trade and Industry to operate at 65 per cent of their operating capacity will have to reduce this to 50 per cent.

Furthermore, employers should also allow staff to work from home as far as possible, and social gatherings in the workplace should be avoided.

The new measures come after 76 members of the staff at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) were placed on leave of absence (LOA) in an attempt to control the Covid-19 cluster at the hospital.

Four of the hospital wards have now been locked down.

Out of the 13 cases in the TTSH cluster, five are members of the staff including two doctors, one nurse, one healthcare assistant and one cleaner, who worked in the ward where the cluster first emerged. The eight others are hospital patients.

 

[jw5]

When will PAP be changing the Dorscon Colour?

 

[cowbellc]

Did pap banned india from stepping into our soil?

 

[jw5]

Did pap banned india from stepping into our soil?

Much later than most countries.

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

Malls and large standalone stores have their occupancy limit reduced to one person per 10 sq m of gross floor area, down from one person per 8 sq m

where got
i went ntuc today still so crowded
ntuc where got comply

 

[jw5]

where got
i went ntuc today still so crowded
ntuc where got comply

This requirement is much too complicated for simple sinkies to implement and comply with.

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

This requirement is much too complicated for simple sinkies to implement and comply with.

10sqm per person is quite big space u know

 

[jw5]

10sqm per person is quite big space u know

Too complicated to increase from 8sqm to 10 sqm.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

S’pore General Hospital not allowing entry to those who visited TTSH


Singapore – Amid the surge in patients at their accidents and emergency department (A&E), Singapore General Hospital has announced on Sunday morning (May 2) that it is not allowing individuals who were admitted to or recently visited Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

SGH and Sengkang General Hospital (SKGH) both announced on Apr 30 that they were experiencing a surge in A&E patients.

SGH noted that priority would be given to those who are critically ill. Meanwhile, the waiting time for other patients will be longer.


“Each patient is allowed only one companion,” said SGH in its Facebook announcement.

“If your condition is not critical, please seek medical attention at a GP or polyclinic,” it added.

In a separate Facebook post, SKGH also announced that it was seeing a high number of A&E patients and gave a similar update regarding priority to those critically ill.

SKGH also noted that their wards are currently running at full capacity.

While it has not been confirmed if the surge in patients is linked to the recently discovered Covid-19 cluster at TTSH, resulting in a lockdown of four of its wards, SGH made a follow-up announcement on Sunday (May 2) indicating changes to its visitor policies.

With effect from May 1, visitors, caregivers or accompanying persons who have been admitted to or visited TTSH wards from Apr 18 onwards will not be allowed into the hospital, said SGH.
Furthermore, up to five visitors, including caregivers, may visit per patient per day, and up to two visitors, including caregivers, per patient, will be allowed in the ward at any time during its visiting hours of 12 noon to 2 pm and 5 pm to 8.30 pm.

Ward visitation excludes Isolation, Labour and Neonatal Wards, added SGH.

Visitors for suspected or confirmed Covid-19 patients in the isolation wards, including ARI *acute respiratory infection) wards will also not be allowed, noted SGH.

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Post-Covid-19 vaccine infections and reinfections could happen, say experts

SINGAPORE - The past week has delivered a Covid-19 shocker to Singapore, not just because of the increase in community cases - there were 10 - but also the infections in people who had been vaccinated or who had been previously infected.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said last Thursday (April 22) that 17 workers residing in Westlite Woodlands dormitory who had recovered from Covid-19 infections were found to be infected again. Others are now being tested.

The following day, the MOH announced that an Indonesian seaman who had received his first vaccine dose tested positive. Last Saturday, two more seamen who had received their first dose of vaccine were also found to be infected.

Since they had not received both vaccine jabs, their getting infected is not of great worry since they had not achieved maximum vaccine protection.

Of greater concern, however, is another man who had received both vaccine doses by March 19 and who became infected.

His parents had flown in from India on April 15. His father was diagnosed with Covid-19 on arrival and sent to hospital, while his mother was placed under quarantine. He received permission to care for her, and he was diagnosed with the disease last Saturday.

Experts that The Straits Times spoke to said such post-vaccine infections, as well as reinfections for those who had been previously diagnosed with the disease, are to be expected, even after the majority of the people here have been fully vaccinated.

It is a reflection of things to come for the nation at large.

Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, an infectious diseases expert at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said these cases are "disappointing, but not a real shock".

He said: "We expect an average of five out of 100 Pfizer- or Moderna-vaccinated persons to come down with symptomatic Covid-19 if exposed, and 10 per 100 vaccinated persons to come down with any Covid-19 infection (asymptomatic or symptomatic) based on the clinical trials and real-world data from Israel and the United States."

In a sense, it is like measles, he said. Although 95 per cent of children here are vaccinated against it, cases still pop up.

Professor Ooi Eng Eong of Duke-NUS Medical School's emerging infectious diseases programme said: "These trends are consistent with what we know about vaccines and vaccination."

He said that most vaccines cannot "elicit immune response to levels sufficient to prevent infection". But those who have received Covid-19 vaccines "around the world have also shown greatly reduced risk of hospitalisation and death".

They are also less likely to spread the infection to others.

Prof Hsu explained that as these people are less sick, or totally without symptoms, they have lower viral loads, thus reducing the risk of transmission.

He added that newer variants may also have increased infection rates in people who had previously been infected or who had received both vaccine doses.

Viral mutations may also increase infections, Prof Hsu said. In Singapore, the most commonly isolated variant in the past month is the B1617 "Indian" variant.

As to why so many in the dormitory have been reinfected, Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, postulated: "We have known that their living environment continues to be one of the higher-risk environments.

"That means the foreign workers living in the dormitories are always at a higher risk of being infected by someone sharing the same room or communal facilities.

"Also, many of the foreign workers previously infected exhibited no or mild symptoms, and that means their immune response after infection may not have been as strong, which may make them more susceptible to reinfections."

Prof Ooi said people who are found to be infected but asymptomatic do not pose a problem, as they present no burden on the healthcare system.

It may in fact be a good thing for people who have been vaccinated to get asymptomatic infection, he suggested. "It would naturally boost the immune response without any problems to the person. The vaccine triggers immune response against only the spike protein, but not the other components of the virus.

"Asymptomatic infection could thus provide an even broader repertoire of immune response against Sars-CoV-2," he said.

Dr Asok Kurup, who chairs the Academy of Medicine's Chapter of Infectious Disease Physicians, questioned the efficacy of some vaccines given globally.

He said he has seen a few patients from India - the imported cases - who had received both doses of other types of Covid-19 vaccines "and yet developed full-blown disease with no antibody response".

He added that the mRNA vaccines - like the Pfizer and Moderna ones used here - do protect against severe illness, and breakthrough infections are few and mild, or asymptomatic.

Prof Ooi said with great emphasis: "The evidence that vaccines work is now more and more abundant, even incontrovertible.

"Places with high vaccination rates, such as Israel, the United Kingdom and California, have all experienced sharp declines in Covid-19 cases. This is despite raging epidemics in these places at the start of the vaccination campaigns."

But Professor Dale Fisher, an infectious diseases expert at the National University Hospital, cautioned: "A vaccine was never going to deliver a fairy-tale ending to this pandemic, and actually the exit strategy now is quite complex and varies by country."

He said Singapore "is particularly well poised" to gradually relax its Covid-19 measures as, unlike some countries, it has not made "confusing recurrent changes in social restrictions".

Prof Fisher added: "With our strong and consistent policy on mask wearing, mass gatherings, case isolation and quarantine of contacts with support for contact tracing by electronic means, Singapore can progress without the back-and-forth confusion seen elsewhere."

But even with a high take-up of vaccines, further easing of restrictions will not come soon, he said.

Dr Kurup said going forward, Singapore needs to "manage our weak links, such as dormitories and nursing homes".

Prof Teo warned that from time to time, infections among people who have been vaccinated will emerge, "especially if they are moving about in high-risk environments where they are constantly being exposed to the coronavirus".

Peeking into the crystal ball, he predicted: "Unless we can assess an individual's immunity to infection, the likelihood that we will have to remain masked up for a long time more is a very real one."

Agreeing, Prof Hsu said vaccines will not return us to a pre-Covid-19 era in the next couple of years, where people went mask-free and had the freedom to travel and congregate.

But there is some upside, he said. "Going around masked in public and observing safe distancing has resulted in dramatic drops in the rates of other infectious diseases such as hand, foot and mouth disease and influenza."

Singapore has not had a single laboratory-confirmed influenza case since May last year.

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Covid-19 protection may last up to 18 months with vaccine: Kenneth Mak

SINGAPORE - Recovered Covid-19 patients have shown strong immune response to the coronavirus for more than 300 days.

But studies done by the National Centre for Infectious Diseases on recovered cases in the community as well as in the dormitories have found that the Covid-19 antibody levels in some of the patients do wane over time.

Hence, it is possible for a recovered person to be reinfected later, said the Health Ministry's director of medical services, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak.

He noted that many of the recovered migrant workers in Singapore have reached the 300-day milestone after being infected with Covid-19.

"It's now good for us to start monitoring very closely for the risk of reinfection taking place, and this would be the basis for the enhanced posture or testing, not just around workers but also for workers that come into Singapore.

"We will continue to be vigilant in looking out for reinfected cases as they arise," said Prof Mak.

As for vaccinated individuals, he said the authorities believe that they may be protected for between 15 and 18 months. But beyond that, it is still an uncertain situation.

He said the authorities will study whether additional vaccine shots might be needed for those who are already vaccinated.

"Just as recovered workers may have gradually waning protection, this may also apply to those who have been vaccinated," he added.

Prof Mak said the authorities will conduct follow-up tests on individuals who have been vaccinated.

"If we find that their immune levels start to drift downwards, it would then be the right time to start planning to vaccinate these people as well," he added.

Prof Mak said the other consideration for additional vaccination shots would be in response to Covid-19 variants.

He said the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as well as the Moderna vaccine have demonstrated effectiveness in protecting against Covid-19 virus variants of concern.

But he added that there may be future variants that the current vaccines might not be effective against, which would make booster vaccine shots necessary.

"This is something we are studying very closely and we have discussed this with our counterparts in other countries," he said.

Vaccine manufacturers are also looking into producing vaccines that have enhanced protection against emerging Covid-19 variants of concern, he added.

The authorities would look into plans to make such new vaccines available as booster doses for those who have been vaccinated, said Prof Mak.

S'pore to bar long-term pass holders, short-term visitors travelling from India | ST LIVE

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Covid-19 cluster at TTSH of concern, but no need to be overly worried: Experts

SINGAPORE - The Covid-19 cluster at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) is of concern, but there is no need to be overly worried, said several experts.

As the pandemic rages on elsewhere, the development is a reminder that hospitals are vulnerable and infection control needs to be taken extremely seriously.

A nurse who had been fully vaccinated was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Tuesday (April 27) after coming down with a cough, body ache and sore throat.

Another eight patients and staff have been diagnosed. They are linked to the nurse (Case 62541), and were detected from proactive testing of patients and staff in the affected ward, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday afternoon (April 29).

Professor Dale Fisher, a senior infectious disease consultant at the National University Hospital (NUH), said: "We know Covid is very unforgiving. Such a cluster could have occurred anywhere and we just have to make sure that if there is a case at a hospital, it will be picked up and not allowed to spread."

Associate Professor Jeremy Lim from the National University of Singapore Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said the development is worrying and warrants even more prudence, but there is no need to be paranoid.

He urged people not to speculate about what happened until investigation results are out.

Prof Fisher agreed: "Until the investigation is undertaken, it won't be clear where the breach happened. But so far, all the rules have shown great outcomes and kept the hospitals transmission-free."

Associate Professor Hsu Liyang, an infectious diseases expert at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said it is fortunate that the majority of hospital staff have been vaccinated.

Vaccination gives more than 90 per cent protection against severe illness and death. But people might still get infected, and could also transmit the disease, although the risk of transmission should be lower than in someone who has not been vaccinated.

However, he said, patients who have certain chronic diseases or who are immunocompromised might face more severe illness if infected.

Prof Fisher added: "This is why we give a special focus on preventing disease in hospitals. Visitors to hospitals since the pandemic began will fully understand how we screen everyone for symptoms and limit the number of visitors and their movement.

"Any patient being admitted who could possibly have Covid is isolated until their swab result comes back. Our efforts so far have worked, but now it does look like a leak has occurred - which is in reality somewhat inevitable after so long."

He added that in spite of the best efforts to minimise risks, "in reality, on occasion, breaches are somewhat inevitable".

Prof Hsu added: "It is a reminder of how difficult and challenging it is to contain such a virus when we have a healthcare cluster in the hospital that has the most experience in Singapore in dealing with major epidemics."

TTSH is next to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, and both are part of the National Healthcare Group. TTSH was also the epicentre in the fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) during the 2003 outbreak in Singapore.

On the Covid-19 cases detected at TTSH, Prof Fisher said: "Overseas, there are countless occasions (of hospital infections). It is a timely reminder that hospitals are vulnerable and infection prevention and control processes need to be rigidly undertaken."

Dr Asok Kurup, who chairs the Academy of Medicine's Chapter of Infectious Disease Physicians, thinks Singapore may have "inadvertently imported some cases into the country which have fallen through the cracks and infiltrated the community".

He added: "We are probably going to see more clusters. We have to be very vigilant so that a huge wave does not follow. In addition, whether these are new variant strains or potentially more infectious ones remain to be seen."

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

SingHealth stepping up screening of patients and visitors; hospitals vigilant following TTSH Covid-19 cluster

SINGAPORE - All SingHealth institutions will step up the screening of patients and visitors to their campuses, following the emergence of a Covid-19 cluster at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

In addition, those who had been admitted to TTSH recently will be subjected to secondary screening if they visit SingHealth institutions for treatment, said Professor Fong Kok Yong, co-chair of the SingHealth Disease Outbreak Taskforce, on Thursday (April 29).

“This measure is necessary for the safety of our patients and staff,” said Prof Fong, who is also the healthcare cluster’s deputy group chief executive of medical and clinical services.

Meanwhile, other hospitals here said they are staying vigilant as they continue with strict infection control and visitor policies as well as safe management measures, in keeping with the Ministry of Health’s guidelines.

Many hospitals here currently allow each patients to have up to eight visitors a day, with only two visitors allowed to come to the ward at any one time. At public hospitals, children 12 years old and under are not allowed to visit.

A nurse who works at TTSH's Ward 9D, a general ward, was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Tuesday after she sought treatment for a cough, sore throat, and body aches. She was fully vaccinated. Following proactive testing of staff and patients at the ward, eight others have been diagnosed, including a doctor who attended to patients in the ward, a healthcare assistant trainee who was assigned to the ward, and six patients.

Prof Fong added that all SingHealth staff who are unwell, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status, must not report for work and need to seek immediate medical attention at their staff clinic.

“Our clinical and operations teams are monitoring the developing situation closely, and we will proactively respond to the evolving needs.”

Private hospitals are also taking precautions.

A Mount Alvernia Hospital spokesman said: "We stand guided and take instructions from MOH if there are any updates to guidelines or policies."

Infection control measures extend beyond the wards as well.

Farrer Park Hospital said it will continue to monitor the situation while sticking to strict infection-control measures for staff, visitors and patients.

"Staff with fever, breathlessness or flu-like symptoms are to seek immediate medical attention at the nearest Public Health Preparedness Clinic or Farrer Park Hospital's Emergency Clinic," said the hospital.

"All employees are required to mask up at all times, even when they are at their desk. They are also encouraged to go for lunch breaks individually to minimise risks of any possible transmission."

Eighty-five per cent of eligible staff from the hospitals under IHH Healthcare Singapore – which includes Mount Elizabeth Orchard, Mount Elizabeth Novena, Gleneagles and Parkway East hospitals – received the Covid-19 vaccine earlier this year, said Dr Prem Kumar Nair, chief executive of the healthcare provider.

There are currently fewer than 10 Covid-19 patients warded at hospitals under IHH Healthcare Singapore, which also includes Mount Elizabeth Orchard and Mount Elizabeth Novena.

At Farrer Park Hospital, about 93 per cent of the hospital staff have been fully vaccinated with both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The 46-year-old TTSH nurse had received her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Jan 26 and the second dose on Feb 18. Experts said that although the Covid-19 vaccine is effective in preventing symptomatic disease for the vast majority of those vaccinated, it is still possible for a small number of vaccinated individuals to become infected.

Farrer Park Hospital also added that safe distancing measures in the hospital's lifts, which have been in place since the pandemic started, was removed earlier this week.

This is in line with the Building Construction Authority's advisory last October that the Government will not apply the 1m distancing in lifts in order to reduce the risk of overcrowding in lift lobbies.

The hospital said it continues to ensure that its lifts and lift lobbies are stocked with hand sanitiser.

A dedicated group of nurses and doctors is on standby to attend to Covid-19 patients, it added. They are to be wearing full personal protective equipment at all times, and regularly monitor their health and take down their vitals.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

COVID-19: TTSH stops admitting new patients from 4 May


SINGAPORE — The hospital at the heart of a growing cluster of COVID-19 infections involving patients and staff on Tuesday (4 May) said that it will cease admitting new patients.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) said, "We seek your kind understanding that this will allow us to focus on containing this COVID-19 hospital cluster, conserve our manpower and continue supporting the pandemic response at our NCID (National Centre for Infectious Diseases) during this period."

The hospital added that it will continue to review its measures with the health ministry and take all necessary actions for the safety of patients and staff.


The cluster was formed after a nurse at a general ward sought treatment for COVID-19 symptoms last Tuesday and tested positive for the virus the same day.

As more cases were detected, the hospital moved to lock down four wards and by Thursday, visitors were banned from all its wards.

As of Monday, there are 35 cases linked to the TTSH cluster.

The two cases - an emergency department nurse and a porter - sought treatment for COVID-19 symptoms at the TTSH emergency department on Sunday and subsequently tested positive for the virus.

There has been one fatality in the cluster: An 88-year-old patient who was at an affected ward died due to complications from COVID-19 infection on Saturday.

The health ministry on Monday said that it was working with other public and private hospitals to increase their capacity.

All emergency ambulance cases will be diverted to other public and private hospitals, it said.

To conserve healthcare resources, all hospitals have also been asked by the ministry to defer non-urgent surgeries and admissions, as well as non-urgent specialist outpatient appointments until further notice.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased from 10 cases in the week before to 60 cases in the past week, the ministry said on Monday.

The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from four cases in the week before to 10 cases in the past week.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Mandatory TraceTogether check-ins at higher risk venues from 17 May

SINGAPORE – The mandatory use of TraceTogether-only Safe Entry (TT-only SE) will be brought forward to 17 May across all venues that experience a higher throughput of visitors or where persons are likely to be in close proximity for prolonged periods.

It was previously announced that this measure would start on 1 June.

In a press release on Tuesday (4 May), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that this means the scanning of SE-QR codes with a phone camera and Singpass app will be discontinued from 17 May. "To ease the transition, ID check-ins will be retained until 31 May 2021," it added.

In its own statement, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) said, "This move is to achieve greater coverage and active participation in the TT programme, especially for venues or settings where community spread is most likely to occur. This will strengthen digital contact tracing and help us better manage the recent rise in community cases, some of which are currently unlinked and have resulted in the formation of community clusters."

With the nationwide implementation of TT-only SE, SE check-in must be performed using a TT app or token by:

• using one’s TT app to scan the venue’s QR code;
• or displaying one’s TT token so that a venue staff can scan the TT token’s QR code;
• or tapping one’s TT app or TT token at a SafeEntry Gateway device.

The full list of TT-only SE venues can be found on the SE website.

More venues to have SafeEntry Gateway
Additionally, the SafeEntry Gateway will be required to be deployed at more venues from 15 June.

These are public-facing venues where people are likely to be in contact for prolonged periods, such as food and beverage dine-in outlets, hotels, and sports and fitness centres.

Together, the TT programme and SE help contact tracers to quickly identify and isolate close contacts of COVID-19 cases, the SNDGG said.

"While TT data identifies an initial list of close contacts, SE data provides the list of places visited by COVID-19 cases to help our contact tracers establish cluster links," it said. "The combined use of these digital tools has enabled us to reduce the average time taken to contact trace from four days to less than 1.5 days."

To date, more than 90 per cent of the population have either downloaded the TT app and/or collected the TT token.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Travellers with recent visit to all but 7 countries and regions to serve 21-day SHN


SINGAPORE — All travellers with recent travel history to higher risk countries and regions, and who are arriving in Singapore from 7 May, 11.59pm, will be required to serve 21-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN), the multi-ministerial taskforce on COVID-19 said on Tuesday (4 May).

Travellers who are currently serving 14-day SHN and have yet to complete their SHN by 7 May, 11.59pm, will be required to serve an additional seven days at their current SHN locations.

According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), the new measure covers all countries and regions except Australia, Brunei, mainland China, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao.

In addition, from 7 May 2021, 11.59pm, prevailing border measures that will apply to incoming travellers will be based on their recent travel history in the past consecutive 21 days to countries and regions, instead of 14 days currently.

“This will help aid the detection of any cases spread among any groups of travellers at pre-departure tests,” the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement.

 

[jw5]

from yahoo.com:

COVID-19: Exam-style classroom seating, activity groups capped at 5 in schools

SINGAPORE — Schools and educational institutions will see enhanced safe management measures (SMMs), such as exam-style fixed classroom seating and activities groups reduced from eight persons to five persons, from this Saturday until 30 May amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in the community.

The other measures include reduction of overall capacity for all activities, including lectures, to a maximum of 50 persons and suspension of activities conducted in public spaces such as learning journeys, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a statement on Tuesday (4 May).

The measures will apply to MOE Kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, Special Education (SPED) schools, Junior Colleges, Millennia Institute and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs).

The MOE announcement comes after the Ministry of Health on Tuesday confirmed 17 new cases in Singapore, including five local cases in the community, taking the country's total case count to 61,252.

All five community cases are linked to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) cluster, which now has 40 cases, including one fatality, and is the biggest active cluster. It is the ninth consecutive day with local cases reported.

School-based activities such as Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) and after-school care arrangements will continue, subject to the tightened SMMs. School-based mid-year assessments and the mid-year GCE O- and A-Level Mother Tongue Language (MTL) examinations will proceed.

Other external activities such as external CCAs and the remaining National School Games (NSG) competitions will be suspended during this period.

Applications for the 2021 Direct School Admission exercises will open from 5 May and the selection process will be conducted via electronic means. The selection for the upcoming polytechnic and ITE Early Admissions Exercise will also be conducted largely via electronic means.

IHLs will adopt tighter SMMs such as keeping in-person class and lecture sizes to no more than 50 persons and conducting other larger classes and lectures online. Polytechnic graduation ceremonies from 8 May will be converted to virtual ceremonies.

In tandem with the national roll-out, TraceTogether-only SafeEntry will be implemented in schools and educational institutions from 17 May. Students should have their TT token or app with them throughout the school day. Visitors and staff must check in using their TT token or app to be allowed entry into schools and institutions.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

MOH asks hospitals to delay non-urgent surgeries to conserve resources for Covid patients


Singapore— With Covid-19 cases rising, the Ministry of Health (MOH) asked hospitals on Monday (May 3) to delay non-urgent surgeries and give priority to the treatment of Covid patients.

In a statement, MOH said it is “working closely with all public and private hospitals to ensure that patients requiring care will continue to be attended to”.

“The healthcare community has also worked together to reserve more beds to manage any potential increase in Covid-19 cases,” it said.


“To conserve resources across the healthcare sector, MOH has asked all hospitals to defer non-urgent surgeries and admissions as well as non-urgent SOC appointments until further notice,” the ministry added.
This means that hospitals will reach out to affected patients concerning the postponement of their surgeries and admissions. MOH added that the healthcare teams of hospitals will arrange for teleconsultations and alternative care arrangements for patients when appropriate, “until the current situation stabilises”.

What the public should do:

1. MOH is urging the public to only visit hospitals’ emergency rooms in cases of emergencies and life-threatening conditions including “persistent chest pain, breathlessness, sudden weakness and numbness, serious injuries and multiple trauma”.
2. In cases of non-emergency situations, people should reach out to general practitioners or doctors at the polyclinics.
3. People with respiratory symptoms should go to Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs). At these clinics, Singapore citizens and permanent residents only need to pay a flat subsidised rate of S$10 for consultation and treatment while members of the Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation need to pay only S$5.
4. While no hospital will deny medical care to patients who need it, stricter measures may be implemented toward patients’ visitors as a precautionary measure. This includes asking visitors or accompanying persons who went Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) inpatient wards from April 18 onwards to desist from visiting hospitals.

The ministry also announced that TTSH has stopped admitting patients.

There are now 40 cases linked to the TTSH cluster, the largest of the nine active clusters.

Latest update
As of noon on Tuesday (May 4) MOH reported 17 new coronavirus cases.

This puts the country’s total at 61,252.

Five of the new cases are from the community, all of them detected while testing patients, visitors and staff at TTSH, and their close contacts.

The new cases are all under quarantine.

There are no new cases in migrant workers’ dormitories.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Worst Covid-19 outbreak since 2020 a good reality check for S’pore: Experts


Singapore – The increasing number of Covid-19 community cases in Singapore serves as a reminder not to let one’s guard down, say experts.

The recent cases show that nobody can relax, not even for a moment, said Professor Teo Yik Ying, Dean of the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, to The Straits Times.

On Sunday (May 2), the Ministry of Health reported 14 new cases of locally transmitted Covid-19 infection.

In the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) cluster alone, 27 people have tested positive for the virus, making it the first hospital cluster and currently the largest in Singapore. One patient, an 88-year-old woman, linked to the cluster died on May 1 due to Covid-19 complications.

“We have seen time and again how countries have had to ramp up restrictions or even reimpose another lockdown after they have opened up, and this scenario could become a reality if we become complacent,” said Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, to ST.

“I certainly hope this is just a blip in our management of Covid-19, and it won’t progress on to much further community spread.”

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased from 10 cases in the week before to 51 cases last week. A total of 212 confirmed cases were reported from Apr 26 to May 2, added MOH.

However, if contact tracing, testing, and quarantine protocols are as effective as before, Prof Teo predicted, then “we should see the current blip come under control within the next couple of weeks or so”.

The country is acting swiftly to ring-fence the cases and curb the spread of the virus within the nine open clusters. Testing, among other precautionary measures such as four TTSH wards being locked down, is being rolled out aggressively.

“What’s critical is cooperation from the public: If you are requested to go for a swab test, please go for it. If you are given a leave of absence, please stick to it,” said Prof Teo.

“And everyone must continue with personal safe management measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing.”

Although the numbers are alarming, Associate Professor Alex Cook, vice-dean of research at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that they are not large enough to be tagged as a new wave of community infections.

In early April last year, Singapore was reporting more than 40 new locally transmitted infections daily.

“Everyone has been quite relaxed with the rules lately, and this will be a good reality check for us,” said Assoc Prof Cook.

The experts noted that Singapore is better prepared than it was a year ago, with more than one-fifth of the population vaccinated and testing and tracing capabilities increased.