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COVID-19 testing started for 16,000 nursing home residents, 9,000 staff already tested with 1 positive case
Singapore
COVID-19 testing started for 16,000 nursing home residents, 9,000 staff already tested with 1 positive case
Ren Ci Nursing Home @ Ang Mo Kio
Ren Ci Nursing Home in Ang Mo Kio. (Photo: Ren Ci website)
By Jalelah Abu Baker
08 May 2020 06:49PM
(Updated: 08 May 2020 07:22PM)
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SINGAPORE: The Government aims to test about 16,000 residents at nursing homes in Singapore for COVID-19 over the next few weeks, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on Friday (May 8), as he stressed the importance of keeping seniors safe amid the pandemic.
Testing has already been completed for 9,000 nursing home employees, with one positive case at Ren Ci nursing home in Ang Mo Kio.
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Mr Gan, co-chair of the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force, said during a press conference that more than 30 residents who could have come in contact with the employee have been tested. Their results have returned negative, he said.
READ: All residents and staff at nursing homes to be tested for COVID-19, some employees to be housed on-site or at hotels
READ: Singapore reports 768 COVID-19 cases, taking total past 21,000
Providing an update about the situation at nursing homes, Mr Gan emphasised the importance of protecting the elderly from contracting the coronavirus.
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“The seniors are at a significant significantly increased risk of severe disease if they are infected with COVID-19,” he said, citing both local and global data that shows that 80 per cent of COVID-19 death have happened among those above 60 years old.
Singapore has implemented several measures to protect its elderly, including minimising movement among nursing home and residential home employees, he said.
Client-facing staff have been instructed to move to designated accommodation facilities at the nursing homes, or at hotels during the circuit breaker period, Mr Gan said.
“About 2,600 nursing home staff are in the process of moving into hotels,” Mr Gan said. Employees who work at residential homes funded by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) are also similarly moving onsite, or to hotels.
READ: Singapore's COVID-19 fatalities hit 20 after woman linked to Lee Ah Mooi home, man from Mustafa cluster die
READ: COVID-19: Mustafa Centre reopens supermarket after month-long closure
About 700 staff working in MSF-funded residential homes will live at on-site facilities, and about 400 will move to hotels, said Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee, who was also present at the press conference.
Mr Lee added that 4,600 employees and residents from residential homes have been swabbed, with most of the results returning negative so far.
Circuit breaker measures in place are expected to last until Jun 1, with the authorities easing some measures from May 12. Factors they will take into consideration when easing the restrictions further include sustained low or single-digit cases in the community.
Mr Gan also said at the press conference that all traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) halls will be able to sell retail products from May 12, following feedback from the elderly about the inconvenience of having to travel long distances to those that had been allowed to operate.
Currently, only 130 TMC halls with registered practitioners are allowed to sell retail products. They had been given the green light to do so on May 5, after the authorities announced last week the easing of some COVID-19 "circuit breaker" measures.
Among the businesses allowed to operate from May 12 are home-based food businesses, selected food retail outlets and food manufacturing firms, Mr Gan had announced on Saturday.
Basic haircut services at hairdressers and barbers can also resume, but must be done within an hour.
Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said at the press conference on Friday that Singaporeans should not rush to go out when businesses reopen on May 12, as the “circuit breaker” will still be in place despite the decline in COVID-19 cases in the broader community.
“We have made some announcements on some easing of measures from May 12 onwards, but that should not be an opportunity for us to go out and (go out) more frequently," said Mr Wong.
“We are making progress because of the circuit breaker and we should continue to do our part to comply with the measures for the rest of the circuit breaker period. We should remain vigilant and not take any chances,” he said.
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Source: CNA/ja
Tagged Topics
COVID-19
coronavirus
health
Gan Kim Yong
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