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should ask the govt why the vaccination rollout is so slow, would solve alot of problems
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IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here. The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.
The shit created by the PAP government because they refused to close the borders with India
- Thread starter LITTLEREDDOT
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World Economic Forum cancels meeting scheduled to be held in Spore in August
Organisers cited the uncertain travel outlook and new variants of Covid-19, among others, as reasons.ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Lim Min Zhang
May 17, 2021
SINGAPORE - The World Economic Forum (WEF) special annual meeting scheduled to be held in Singapore in August has been postponed to next year.
Organisers cited the uncertain travel outlook and new variants of Covid-19, among others, as reasons.
In a statement on its website on Monday (May 17), the WEF said: "Regretfully, the tragic circumstances unfolding across geographies, an uncertain travel outlook, differing speeds of vaccination rollout and the uncertainty around new variants combine to make it impossible to realise a global meeting with business, government and civil society leaders from all over the world at the scale which was planned."
This is despite the "excellent support" provided by the Government of Singapore, said WEF.
The next annual meeting will instead take place in the first half of 2022. The final location and date will be determined based on an assessment of the situation later this summer, said the statement.
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Singaporeans turn against each other because of the Indian variant of the virus.
Singaporean Chinese, Malays, Eurasians, and Other Races are also discriminated against.
If the Indians are discriminated against, they cry racism.
What do the Chinese, Malays, Eurasian, and Other Races cry?
"We cannot close the borders permanently! The construction and manufacturing sectors need these carriers and we need to sacrifice our health for the economy, for the country, for the PAP! Majullah!"
A nurse told The Straits Times that she has been staying in a hotel since May 12 as part of TTSH's accommodation arrangements for its staff.PHOTO: ST FILE
Cheryl Tan and Natalie Tan
May 18, 2021
SINGAPORE - On May 5, a few days after the emergence of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) Covid-19 cluster, Mr Nigel Rankine tried to book a hotel stay but was told he could not be accommodated.
The 27-year-old staff nurse works at TTSH. He decided to move out of his place provisionally to avoid exposing his elderly parents to the risk of contracting the coronavirus. Both his parents are immunocompromised: his mother is a cancer patient and his father is recovering from heart bypass surgery.
He had applied a few times for alternative accommodation with TTSH, but knew it would take some time to get a spot.
The hospital said it has been working with hotels and accommodation providers to give lodging to its impacted staff .
Mr Rankine eventually found a hotel on his own but was told that bookings were not available.
But a friend who called the hotel was told otherwise. When Mr Rankine pressed for answers, the hotel said they only accepted staycation bookings.
Mr Rankine had earlier told the hotel, which he declined to name, that he worked at TTSH. He inferred from their response that this was why they had rejected him.
"The response I got was a little off-putting. If they had been truthful and honest from the start, it would have been less damaging," said Mr Rankine.
After failing to book a hotel room on his own, he reached out to TTSH once again and was finally able to get a hotel booking on that day. "I'm thankful for the speed and how TTSH has helped give my family and me peace of mind," he said.
Mr Rankine said he thought it fair that the hotel he first engaged with wanted to protect its staff and guests, just as he was protecting his family, but did not appreciate their lack of honesty.
"I don't expect people to treat us differently or put us on a pedestal just because we are healthcare workers. But they should at least speak to us like we're human and not some kind of parasite," he said.
Reports of other TTSH healthcare workers being shunned by the public or having to move out of their homes have surfaced.
The hospital cluster currently has 46 Covid-19 cases linked to it as of May 16, with around 1,000 staff placed on quarantine.
Another nurse, who wanted to remain anonymous, told The Straits Times that she has been staying in a hotel since May 12 as part of TTSH's accommodation arrangements for its staff .
"I wanted to segregate myself from other people and minimise contact with my landlord, who is elderly" said the 26-year-old.
The hospital said it has been working with hotels and accommodation providers to give lodging to its impacted staff. PHOTO: TTSH
She added that her neighbours avoid her when they see her coming from afar.
A day after the cluster was announced, she tried to flag down a cab to get to the hospital. She said of the driver:
"He asked me a lot of questions, like why I was heading there, when did I get my vaccination, and what was my swab test result. I answered all of his questions but he still rejected me in the end," she said.
This happened with another taxi driver too and after that, she made it a point to stick to public transport and to refrain from wearing the TTSH uniform when commuting.
Likewise, Dr Keefe Tan, a registrar at the hospital, said that his Grab driver had cancelled his ride, seconds after finding out that he had booked one to TTSH.
"It's been difficult to get a ride despite the map showing that there are many cars around the area," said the 32-year-old.
Asked if he had been using GrabCare, a dedicated service which aims to ferry healthcare workers to and from hospitals, Dr Tan said that it was still difficult to get a ride through the service but the situation was better compared to last year.
It currently has more than 12,000 driver-partners who have volunteered for its GrabCare fleet.
While Dr Tan said he understands why people might be fearful of TTSH healthcare workers, he couldn't help feeling a little "sad and disappointed".
"My colleagues and I are more than willing to put ourselves at the same risk everyday for them and it would be nice to know that others are standing together with us. In times like this, I just wish more people would step up instead of turn the other way," he said.
Singaporean Chinese, Malays, Eurasians, and Other Races are also discriminated against.
If the Indians are discriminated against, they cry racism.
What do the Chinese, Malays, Eurasian, and Other Races cry?
"We cannot close the borders permanently! The construction and manufacturing sectors need these carriers and we need to sacrifice our health for the economy, for the country, for the PAP! Majullah!"
TTSH healthcare workers refused by cab drivers, turned away by some hotels
A nurse told The Straits Times that she has been staying in a hotel since May 12 as part of TTSH's accommodation arrangements for its staff.PHOTO: ST FILE
Cheryl Tan and Natalie Tan
May 18, 2021
SINGAPORE - On May 5, a few days after the emergence of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) Covid-19 cluster, Mr Nigel Rankine tried to book a hotel stay but was told he could not be accommodated.
The 27-year-old staff nurse works at TTSH. He decided to move out of his place provisionally to avoid exposing his elderly parents to the risk of contracting the coronavirus. Both his parents are immunocompromised: his mother is a cancer patient and his father is recovering from heart bypass surgery.
He had applied a few times for alternative accommodation with TTSH, but knew it would take some time to get a spot.
The hospital said it has been working with hotels and accommodation providers to give lodging to its impacted staff .
Mr Rankine eventually found a hotel on his own but was told that bookings were not available.
But a friend who called the hotel was told otherwise. When Mr Rankine pressed for answers, the hotel said they only accepted staycation bookings.
Mr Rankine had earlier told the hotel, which he declined to name, that he worked at TTSH. He inferred from their response that this was why they had rejected him.
"The response I got was a little off-putting. If they had been truthful and honest from the start, it would have been less damaging," said Mr Rankine.
After failing to book a hotel room on his own, he reached out to TTSH once again and was finally able to get a hotel booking on that day. "I'm thankful for the speed and how TTSH has helped give my family and me peace of mind," he said.
Mr Rankine said he thought it fair that the hotel he first engaged with wanted to protect its staff and guests, just as he was protecting his family, but did not appreciate their lack of honesty.
"I don't expect people to treat us differently or put us on a pedestal just because we are healthcare workers. But they should at least speak to us like we're human and not some kind of parasite," he said.
Reports of other TTSH healthcare workers being shunned by the public or having to move out of their homes have surfaced.
The hospital cluster currently has 46 Covid-19 cases linked to it as of May 16, with around 1,000 staff placed on quarantine.
Another nurse, who wanted to remain anonymous, told The Straits Times that she has been staying in a hotel since May 12 as part of TTSH's accommodation arrangements for its staff .
"I wanted to segregate myself from other people and minimise contact with my landlord, who is elderly" said the 26-year-old.
She added that her neighbours avoid her when they see her coming from afar.
A day after the cluster was announced, she tried to flag down a cab to get to the hospital. She said of the driver:
"He asked me a lot of questions, like why I was heading there, when did I get my vaccination, and what was my swab test result. I answered all of his questions but he still rejected me in the end," she said.
This happened with another taxi driver too and after that, she made it a point to stick to public transport and to refrain from wearing the TTSH uniform when commuting.
Likewise, Dr Keefe Tan, a registrar at the hospital, said that his Grab driver had cancelled his ride, seconds after finding out that he had booked one to TTSH.
"It's been difficult to get a ride despite the map showing that there are many cars around the area," said the 32-year-old.
Asked if he had been using GrabCare, a dedicated service which aims to ferry healthcare workers to and from hospitals, Dr Tan said that it was still difficult to get a ride through the service but the situation was better compared to last year.
A spokesman from Grab said the company has conducted another recruitment drive to onboard more volunteer driver-partners to further support Singapore's healthcare workers.It currently has more than 12,000 driver-partners who have volunteered for its GrabCare fleet.
While Dr Tan said he understands why people might be fearful of TTSH healthcare workers, he couldn't help feeling a little "sad and disappointed".
"My colleagues and I are more than willing to put ourselves at the same risk everyday for them and it would be nice to know that others are standing together with us. In times like this, I just wish more people would step up instead of turn the other way," he said.
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Tutors also have families to feed, not just construction and manufacturing companies who need foreign workers.
Classes at private and home-based tuition and enrichment centres suspended
The decision is due to the higher risk of transmission of Covid-19 from students of different schools mingling.ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Anjali Raguraman
MAY 18, 2021
SINGAPORE - Following the suspension of in-person teaching at private tuition and enrichment centres for students aged 18 and under, home-based providers learnt on Tuesday (May 18) that they too will have to move these classes online.
To last from Wednesday till June 13, the moratorium on face-to-face classes applies to education and development support activities, arts and culture classes and workshops, religious classes, as well as sports and physical activity classes and programmes.
The decision is due to the higher risk of transmission of Covid-19 from students of different schools mingling, and to avoid interactions between tutors and students, said the Ministry of Education in a statement.
It comes after the ministry announced on Sunday that all centre-based tuition and enrichment classes have to move activities online till June 13 or further notice, to reduce interaction between students from different schools.
All schools are also set to start full home-based learning (HBL) from Wednesday until May 28 when the school term ends, amid a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases in the community.
Selected organisations and individuals are exempt from the suspension, including MOE-registered foreign system kindergartens; private education institutions registered with the Committee for Private Education and privately funded schools such as Anglo-Chinese School (International), Hwa Chong International School, St Joseph's Institution International (High School); as well as those providing learning interventions by therapists registered with the Allied Health Professions Council, or early intervention centres funded by the Early Childhood Development Agency.
Such centres are required to abide by safe distancing measures, health declarations and the mandatory wearing of masks at all times. They should also allow for 15 minutes between classes so that classroom surfaces can be disinfected, and to avoid congestion inside or outside the centres.
Outdoor one-on-one sports and physical activity classes may also continue, even for those aged 18 and younger, but with a maximum of one instructor and one student at all times.
Masks can be taken off for strenuous activities but have to be put on immediately after the end of the activity, the ministry said.
However, all indoor and outdoor physical activities and sports classes involving more than one student; as well as singing and wind or brass instrument classes will be suspended till June 13.
Indoor dance classes as well as voice training and speech and drama classes for students older than age 18 can continue under additional safe management measures such as wearing masks at all times, and class sizes not exceeding 30 people, including tutors and instructors.
Working from home is now the default arrangement for tuition and enrichment centres. Employees who need to return to the workplace must abide by all prevailing safe management measures such as the use of SafeEntry for contact tracing and the wearing of masks at all times and regular cleaning of common facilities and high-touch areas.
MOE said it will conduct inspections at tuition and enrichment centres.
Under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, first-time offenders will face a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both. For subsequent offences, they may face a fine of up to $20,000, imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both.
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The health and fitness of the young people of Singapore compromised because of the continued entry of a few hundred workers.
Which is more important: the physical and mental health of hundreds of thousands of young Singaporeans or construction and manufacturing activity?
The latest ruling has been introduced to "safeguard the well-being of children and youth", said SportSG.ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
Kimberly Kwek and Clarence Yeo
MAY 18, 2021
SINGAPORE – All indoor sports and physical activity classes and programmes for youth aged 18 and below will be suspended and moved online from Wednesday (May 19) to June 13 as part of heightened measures amid a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases in the community, Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced on Tuesday (May 18).
All outdoor sports and physical activity will be limited to one coach and one student, while those in this age group can continue exercising in groups of two.
The national agency’s latest ruling has been introduced to “safeguard the well-being of children and youth” after a number of schoolchildren tested positive for the coronavirus.
Over the past few days, the Ministry of Education has announced several measures, including compulsory home-based learning from today until May 28 for all primary, secondary and junior college students, as well as those from Millennia Institute and special education schools.
But prior to Tuesday’s announcement, some sports academies and facilities had decided to halt their programmes after stricter measures for Phase 2 (heightened alert) were announced last Friday.
Optimum Badminton Academy owner Jeron Wong felt it was the best option given the dynamic nature of the Covid-19 situation.
The 32-year-old shifted all training sessions online using pre-recorded videos and live coaching over video conferencing platforms.
He said: “It’s a disastrous thing for academies like us because everything is face-to-face. But you never know in a couple of days, there may be tightening of measures.”
Academy student Krishen Sathis Kumar, seven, will be participating in the e-learning sessions to stay active during this period.
But the Alexandra Primary School pupil said: “I’ll miss playing badminton and my friends too.”
Bubbles Gymnastics, which caters for children and youth aged one to 13, closed its indoor gym at the Turf Club on Monday.
Acknowledging it was a big loss, gymnastics coach Foo Seck Ying, 40, said: “We look at the number of cases and it involves a lot children from different schools. We’ve got kids from many different schools and we don’t want them to intermingle and we don’t want to form a cluster.”
While other facilities like New Century Table Tennis Academy at Katong Shopping Centre are staying open, it is expecting revenue to be badly impacted.
About 80 per cent of their revenue comes from training programmes for children and the earlier measures had impacted business as their adult customers found it hard to play with their masks on.
Owner and head coach Zhu Mu, 37, said: “We are hoping that it’s something similar to last year where we can stop all these children’s lesson for safety but at the same time, we’re still hoping that rental relief will be given so that even without profits, the loss won’t be so great.”
Which is more important: the physical and mental health of hundreds of thousands of young Singaporeans or construction and manufacturing activity?
Indoor sports for youth aged 18 and below suspended; outdoor 1-1 activity can go on: SportSG
The latest ruling has been introduced to "safeguard the well-being of children and youth", said SportSG.ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
Kimberly Kwek and Clarence Yeo
MAY 18, 2021
SINGAPORE – All indoor sports and physical activity classes and programmes for youth aged 18 and below will be suspended and moved online from Wednesday (May 19) to June 13 as part of heightened measures amid a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases in the community, Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced on Tuesday (May 18).
All outdoor sports and physical activity will be limited to one coach and one student, while those in this age group can continue exercising in groups of two.
The national agency’s latest ruling has been introduced to “safeguard the well-being of children and youth” after a number of schoolchildren tested positive for the coronavirus.
Over the past few days, the Ministry of Education has announced several measures, including compulsory home-based learning from today until May 28 for all primary, secondary and junior college students, as well as those from Millennia Institute and special education schools.
But prior to Tuesday’s announcement, some sports academies and facilities had decided to halt their programmes after stricter measures for Phase 2 (heightened alert) were announced last Friday.
Optimum Badminton Academy owner Jeron Wong felt it was the best option given the dynamic nature of the Covid-19 situation.
The 32-year-old shifted all training sessions online using pre-recorded videos and live coaching over video conferencing platforms.
He said: “It’s a disastrous thing for academies like us because everything is face-to-face. But you never know in a couple of days, there may be tightening of measures.”
Academy student Krishen Sathis Kumar, seven, will be participating in the e-learning sessions to stay active during this period.
But the Alexandra Primary School pupil said: “I’ll miss playing badminton and my friends too.”
Bubbles Gymnastics, which caters for children and youth aged one to 13, closed its indoor gym at the Turf Club on Monday.
Acknowledging it was a big loss, gymnastics coach Foo Seck Ying, 40, said: “We look at the number of cases and it involves a lot children from different schools. We’ve got kids from many different schools and we don’t want them to intermingle and we don’t want to form a cluster.”
While other facilities like New Century Table Tennis Academy at Katong Shopping Centre are staying open, it is expecting revenue to be badly impacted.
About 80 per cent of their revenue comes from training programmes for children and the earlier measures had impacted business as their adult customers found it hard to play with their masks on.
Owner and head coach Zhu Mu, 37, said: “We are hoping that it’s something similar to last year where we can stop all these children’s lesson for safety but at the same time, we’re still hoping that rental relief will be given so that even without profits, the loss won’t be so great.”
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No truth to Delhi official’s claims of new Singapore Covid-19 variant: Ministry of Health
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed that the new variant could result in a third wave in India.PHOTO: AFP
May 19, 2021
SINGAPORE - Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has rebutted claims by a politician in India, which were carried by several media outlets, of a new Covid-19 strain in Singapore.
“There is no truth whatsoever in the assertions found within the reports. There is no ‘Singapore variant’,” an MOH spokesman said on Tuesday (May 18).
“The strain that is prevalent in many of the Covid-19 cases in recent weeks is the B16172 variant, which originated in India. Phylogenetic testing has shown this B16172 variant to be associated with several clusters in Singapore,” the spokesman added.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had, in a Twitter post in Hindi earlier on Tuesday, called on India’s government to cancel flights with Singapore, and claimed a “new strain” of Covid-19 could result in a third wave of infections in India.
“The new form of Corona that came to Singapore is being said to be extremely dangerous for children, in India it may come as a third wave. My appeal to the central government is for air services with Singapore to be cancelled with immediate effect and to prioritise the options for vaccinating children at the earliest,” he wrote.
His remarks were published by, among others, India’s Hindustan Times in a report headlined “Coronavirus variant found in Singapore can be India’s 3rd wave, extremely dangerous for kids, warns Arvind Kejriwal”. They were also reported by Indian broadcaster NDTV, which headlined its report “Stop Singapore Flights: Arvind Kejriwal To Centre Over New Covid Strain”.
The remarks prompted Indian Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to say in a Twitter post that there is no cause for alarm, as international flights to India have been halted since March last year.
He also said Singapore does not have an air travel bubble with India. “We just bring back Indian people stranded there with some Vande Bharat flights. They are our own people. We still have an eye on the situation. All precautions are being taken,” he said, referring to repatriation flights.
The B1617 strain was first reported in India last October and has since been detected in dozens of other countries, including Singapore. The World Health Organisation has classified it as a variant “of concern”.
The B16172 strain is a sublineage of the B1617 strain, and is associated with the Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Changi Airport clusters.
India has the second-highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world, after the United States.
On Tuesday, its total number of cases surged past 25 million, while its total death toll is at nearly 280,000.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Chee Hong Tat said in a Facebook post: "It is disappointing to see such nonsense coming from Chief Minister Kejriwal."
Twitter users have slammed Mr Kejriwal for his claim.
“The strain in Singapore is B1617... same as Indian strain... Singapore has already closed borders and suspended flights to/from India. Which world do you live in!!!,” Mr Manish Sharma tweeted.Another Twitter user with the handle Antaraaneja said Singapore schools are closed because of the B1617 strain: “Perhaps fact checking and an apology are in order for spreading misinformation.”
And prominent Singapore blogger mrbrown wrote: “Hey, Delhi chief minister! The B1617 strain came from your country.”
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Time, money and effort wasted on testing.
The testing, expected to last a few days, will take place at the Sports Arena of SP's Dover Road Campus.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Ang Qing
May 19, 2021
SINGAPORE - About 6,500 students, staff and vendors at Singapore Polytechnic (SP) will be tested for Covid-19 from Wednesday (May 19), after three students earlier tested positive for the virus.
There is currently no evidence to show that these cases, which were reported on Sunday and Monday, are linked to one another, said SP in a statement.
"However, given the three positive cases, as well as the locations and proximity of their schools in SP's campus, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has decided to take an additional precautionary measure to reduce the risk of transmission within our campus," it added.
The ministry prioritised several groups to be swabbed - about 6,500 students, staff and food court vendors from five schools in SP who were on campus on or after April 29.
The schools include the School of Computing, the Media, Arts & Design School, the School of Business and the School of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering.
Only students on Continuing Education and Training (CET) courses and programmes from the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering will have to be swabbed for now.
The testing, expected to last a few days, will take place at the Sports Arena of SP's Dover Road Campus, the school said.
All affected individuals will be informed by the Health Ministry via SMS on the details of their swab tests.
MOH said it will consider the overall risk level after the first segment of testing is completed, before deciding if the rest of the SP community has to be swabbed.
The polytechnic has more than 14,000 students and staff.
Since Tuesday, SP has moved all lessons online until May 28, including practical classes.
Prior to this, all tutorials and lectures were already planned to be conducted online until the end of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) on June 13.
SP has also thoroughly cleaned and disinfected the campus premises while a leave of absence has been issued to the students' classmates.
On Sunday, an 18-year-old Year 2 student from the Media, Arts and Design school was reported to have the virus. He was last on campus on May 11.
The three students are doing well, said SP.
6,500 students and staff at Singapore Polytechnic to be tested for Covid-19 from May 19
The testing, expected to last a few days, will take place at the Sports Arena of SP's Dover Road Campus.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Ang Qing
May 19, 2021
SINGAPORE - About 6,500 students, staff and vendors at Singapore Polytechnic (SP) will be tested for Covid-19 from Wednesday (May 19), after three students earlier tested positive for the virus.
There is currently no evidence to show that these cases, which were reported on Sunday and Monday, are linked to one another, said SP in a statement.
"However, given the three positive cases, as well as the locations and proximity of their schools in SP's campus, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has decided to take an additional precautionary measure to reduce the risk of transmission within our campus," it added.
The ministry prioritised several groups to be swabbed - about 6,500 students, staff and food court vendors from five schools in SP who were on campus on or after April 29.
The schools include the School of Computing, the Media, Arts & Design School, the School of Business and the School of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering.
Only students on Continuing Education and Training (CET) courses and programmes from the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering will have to be swabbed for now.
The testing, expected to last a few days, will take place at the Sports Arena of SP's Dover Road Campus, the school said.
All affected individuals will be informed by the Health Ministry via SMS on the details of their swab tests.
MOH said it will consider the overall risk level after the first segment of testing is completed, before deciding if the rest of the SP community has to be swabbed.
The polytechnic has more than 14,000 students and staff.
Since Tuesday, SP has moved all lessons online until May 28, including practical classes.
Prior to this, all tutorials and lectures were already planned to be conducted online until the end of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) on June 13.
SP has also thoroughly cleaned and disinfected the campus premises while a leave of absence has been issued to the students' classmates.
On Monday, a 16-year-old SP student was reported to have the B1617 variant of the virus that was first detected in India, while a 32-year-old IT engineer enrolled as a part-time adult learner also tested positive for the virus.On Sunday, an 18-year-old Year 2 student from the Media, Arts and Design school was reported to have the virus. He was last on campus on May 11.
The three students are doing well, said SP.
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Tenants were told to go for compulsory swab at Our Tampines Hub, on May 19, 2021
Long queues for swab tests for people possibly exposed to Covid-19 cases at malls
Luqmanul Hakim Ismail and Natalie TanMay 19, 2021
SINGAPORE - When Mr Eric Tan, 62, joined the queue to get swabbed at a makeshift Covid-19 testing site in Our Tampines Hub, he did not think he would have to stand in line for more than two hours.
The senior citizen, who works at the FairPrice supermarket branch in the hub, said: "Though I can handle standing in the line this long, other seniors may not be strong enough to do so."
Mr Tan was among the hundreds of people who queued to get swabbed on Wednesday (May 19) at various testing centres and clinics.
Some were individuals who received SMS alerts that they had possibly been exposed to Covid-19 cases who had visited Jem, Westgate, and White Sands malls, while others, like Mr Tan, worked in places that had to carry out compulsory tests.
Our Tampines Hub set up a swabbing site on Wednesday after the Ministry of Health requested that all its staff, service providers and tenants' staff be tested due to the rising numbers of potential Covid-19 cases.
Elsewhere, others rushed to get tested at Swab and Send Home (Sash) clinics, which offer free swab tests to those who have had possible exposure at the malls.
Mr Kyle Malinda-White, 29, said when he visited the OneCare Medical Clinic at Bukit Gombak at 1pm, he saw about 40 people in the queue, and was asked to return at 8pm.
There was still a queue when he returned at night, and he was asked to return again at 7.30am on Thursday (May 20).
"I can see the healthcare professionals are really exhausted, so my heart goes out to them first. I'm happy to be back early tomorrow," Mr Malinda-White told ST, adding that he was self isolating in his room in the meantime.
He had visited Westgate on May 14 and decided to get tested even though he did not receive a possible exposure alert from MOH.
Mr Malinda-White, a digital product manager at a cybersecurity start-up who lives with his sister and five-year-old niece, said: "I wanted to get swabbed to have peace of mind. Not just for myself, but for my family."
Several Sash clinics located near the affected malls told The Straits Times they administered more than double the usual daily number of swab tests yesterday (May 19).
The Northeast Medical Group branch at Bukit Batok performed over 40 swab tests on individuals who had visited Jem and Westgate, said clinic assistant Koh Jia Boon.
The clinic normally administers between 10 and 20 swab tests a day. But the total number on Wednesday was 56, including those given to patients with symptoms of an acute respiratory infection.
"This is the most number of swab tests we've done in a day since we started doing swab tests in October last year," said Ms Koh.
At Edgedale Medical Clinic in Tampines, the number of patients who want a swab test has more than doubled to over 20 each day, ever since new clusters emerged, said clinic assistant Thila G.
Some clinics have had to place extra orders for test kits to cope with the demand. Ms March Yeo, a clinic assistant at Q & M Medical Clinic (Bukit Batok), said a batch of 20 test kits that was supposed to last a week had run out in two days.
Slots for swab tests at the Fullerton Health Testing Centre in Raffles City Shopping Centre were also snapped up. A check by ST on Fullerton Health's website at about 5pm on Wednesday showed that appointments for swab tests for Thursday were fully booked.
A spokesman for Fullerton Health, which is open to any individual who was at an impacted location, said: "We work closely with MOH on calibration of capacity and are able to comfortably accommodate (our patients)."
Affected individuals can also sign up to get tested at five regional screening centres on a desired date, though timings are allocated.
Additional reporting by Sherlyn Sim and Jeanne Wang
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So embarrasing. So xia suay.
So much tourist dollars lost.
No work for so many hotel, convention, and security workers.
The dialogue was slated to be a fully in-person event held within a bubble at Shangri-La Hotel.ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Justin Ong
Political Correspondent
May 20, 2021
SINGAPORE - The Shangri-La Dialogue scheduled for June 4 to 5 in the Republic has been cancelled, the organisers announced on Thursday (May 20).
A spokesman for the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said it was "with regret and sadness" that the security summit had to be called off.
It was previously announced that the dialogue would be a fully in-person event held within a bubble at Shangri-La Hotel. United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had confirmed his attendance, while Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had been invited to headline the event as keynote speaker.
“Unfortunately, the global Covid-19 situation has recently deteriorated, in part because of the rise of infectious new Covid variants,” said the IISS spokesman. “In Singapore, there has been a rise in local cases, recently introduced new restrictions, and the prospect of further tightening cannot be ruled out – all of which creates uncertainty. Taken together, all of these various factors mean that holding an in-person Shangri-La Dialogue this year has become unviable.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said it supported the decision to cancel the dialogue “due to the continued uncertainties surrounding the global and local Covid-19 situation”.
Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen also posted on Facebook, saying that earlier this year, IISS and Mindef were “quietly optimistic” that control measures and mass vaccinations under way in many countries would allow for a physical meeting in the Republic in June.
On the cancellation, he said: “Although regretful, it is the responsible course, with the health and safety of the local community and participants as the foremost consideration.”
As recently as Monday, the IISS had reaffirmed its intentions to continue with the dialogue, in the wake of the World Economic Forum cancelling its special annual meeting scheduled to be held in Singapore in August.
The think-tank had said the same after a spike in local infections was reported last week.
On Thursday, the IISS spokesman noted that a "wide range" of defence ministers, senior officials, corporate leaders and influential strategists from Asia, North America, the Middle East and Europe had confirmed their attendance.
Dr Ng said Singapore was heartened by the positive responses to the invitations, especially from Mr Suga and many defence ministers.
“Their commitment to be here in Singapore physically reflected the strong desire to have meaningful dialogue to deal with pressing transnational security issues that confront us all,” he wrote.
“The cancellation of the Shangri-La Dialogue in no way reflects any reduced commitment to dialogue and engagement to promote peace and stability in Asia and beyond. Rather, it is yet another example of how Covid-19 has disrupted normalcy, in all facets of our lives and social discourse. We will find alternate and safer avenues for these important goals.”
The IISS spokesman said the institute would plan for the return of the full in-person Shangri-La Dialogue in the middle of next year.
The cancellation of the Shangri-La Dialogue and World Economic Forum leaves the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, scheduled for Nov 16 to 19, as the only signature event on Singapore’s calendar. If it proceeds, the conference will gather government leaders and top businessmen around the world – including Tesla boss Elon Musk – to discuss the global challenges of the day.
So much tourist dollars lost.
No work for so many hotel, convention, and security workers.
Shangri-La Dialogue on June 4-5 in Singapore cancelled due to Covid-19 situation
The dialogue was slated to be a fully in-person event held within a bubble at Shangri-La Hotel.ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Justin Ong
Political Correspondent
May 20, 2021
SINGAPORE - The Shangri-La Dialogue scheduled for June 4 to 5 in the Republic has been cancelled, the organisers announced on Thursday (May 20).
A spokesman for the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said it was "with regret and sadness" that the security summit had to be called off.
It was previously announced that the dialogue would be a fully in-person event held within a bubble at Shangri-La Hotel. United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had confirmed his attendance, while Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had been invited to headline the event as keynote speaker.
“Unfortunately, the global Covid-19 situation has recently deteriorated, in part because of the rise of infectious new Covid variants,” said the IISS spokesman. “In Singapore, there has been a rise in local cases, recently introduced new restrictions, and the prospect of further tightening cannot be ruled out – all of which creates uncertainty. Taken together, all of these various factors mean that holding an in-person Shangri-La Dialogue this year has become unviable.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said it supported the decision to cancel the dialogue “due to the continued uncertainties surrounding the global and local Covid-19 situation”.
Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen also posted on Facebook, saying that earlier this year, IISS and Mindef were “quietly optimistic” that control measures and mass vaccinations under way in many countries would allow for a physical meeting in the Republic in June.
On the cancellation, he said: “Although regretful, it is the responsible course, with the health and safety of the local community and participants as the foremost consideration.”
As recently as Monday, the IISS had reaffirmed its intentions to continue with the dialogue, in the wake of the World Economic Forum cancelling its special annual meeting scheduled to be held in Singapore in August.
The think-tank had said the same after a spike in local infections was reported last week.
On Thursday, the IISS spokesman noted that a "wide range" of defence ministers, senior officials, corporate leaders and influential strategists from Asia, North America, the Middle East and Europe had confirmed their attendance.
Dr Ng said Singapore was heartened by the positive responses to the invitations, especially from Mr Suga and many defence ministers.
“Their commitment to be here in Singapore physically reflected the strong desire to have meaningful dialogue to deal with pressing transnational security issues that confront us all,” he wrote.
“The cancellation of the Shangri-La Dialogue in no way reflects any reduced commitment to dialogue and engagement to promote peace and stability in Asia and beyond. Rather, it is yet another example of how Covid-19 has disrupted normalcy, in all facets of our lives and social discourse. We will find alternate and safer avenues for these important goals.”
The IISS spokesman said the institute would plan for the return of the full in-person Shangri-La Dialogue in the middle of next year.
The cancellation of the Shangri-La Dialogue and World Economic Forum leaves the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, scheduled for Nov 16 to 19, as the only signature event on Singapore’s calendar. If it proceeds, the conference will gather government leaders and top businessmen around the world – including Tesla boss Elon Musk – to discuss the global challenges of the day.
This is bad. IMO It should carry on with reasonable measures.So embarrasing. So xia suay.
So much tourist dollars lost.
No work for so many hotel, convention, and security workers.
Shangri-La Dialogue on June 4-5 in Singapore cancelled due to Covid-19 situation
The dialogue was slated to be a fully in-person event held within a bubble at Shangri-La Hotel.ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Justin Ong
Political Correspondent
May 20, 2021
SINGAPORE - The Shangri-La Dialogue scheduled for June 4 to 5 in the Republic has been cancelled, the organisers announced on Thursday (May 20).
A spokesman for the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said it was "with regret and sadness" that the security summit had to be called off.
It was previously announced that the dialogue would be a fully in-person event held within a bubble at Shangri-La Hotel. United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had confirmed his attendance, while Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had been invited to headline the event as keynote speaker.
“Unfortunately, the global Covid-19 situation has recently deteriorated, in part because of the rise of infectious new Covid variants,” said the IISS spokesman. “In Singapore, there has been a rise in local cases, recently introduced new restrictions, and the prospect of further tightening cannot be ruled out – all of which creates uncertainty. Taken together, all of these various factors mean that holding an in-person Shangri-La Dialogue this year has become unviable.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said it supported the decision to cancel the dialogue “due to the continued uncertainties surrounding the global and local Covid-19 situation”.
Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen also posted on Facebook, saying that earlier this year, IISS and Mindef were “quietly optimistic” that control measures and mass vaccinations under way in many countries would allow for a physical meeting in the Republic in June.
On the cancellation, he said: “Although regretful, it is the responsible course, with the health and safety of the local community and participants as the foremost consideration.”
As recently as Monday, the IISS had reaffirmed its intentions to continue with the dialogue, in the wake of the World Economic Forum cancelling its special annual meeting scheduled to be held in Singapore in August.
The think-tank had said the same after a spike in local infections was reported last week.
On Thursday, the IISS spokesman noted that a "wide range" of defence ministers, senior officials, corporate leaders and influential strategists from Asia, North America, the Middle East and Europe had confirmed their attendance.
Dr Ng said Singapore was heartened by the positive responses to the invitations, especially from Mr Suga and many defence ministers.
“Their commitment to be here in Singapore physically reflected the strong desire to have meaningful dialogue to deal with pressing transnational security issues that confront us all,” he wrote.
“The cancellation of the Shangri-La Dialogue in no way reflects any reduced commitment to dialogue and engagement to promote peace and stability in Asia and beyond. Rather, it is yet another example of how Covid-19 has disrupted normalcy, in all facets of our lives and social discourse. We will find alternate and safer avenues for these important goals.”
The IISS spokesman said the institute would plan for the return of the full in-person Shangri-La Dialogue in the middle of next year.
The cancellation of the Shangri-La Dialogue and World Economic Forum leaves the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, scheduled for Nov 16 to 19, as the only signature event on Singapore’s calendar. If it proceeds, the conference will gather government leaders and top businessmen around the world – including Tesla boss Elon Musk – to discuss the global challenges of the day.
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2008
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- 12,562
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- 113
Aother hospital ward got locked down.
Are you sure it is just one ward?
It started with one ward in Tan Tock Seng Hospital before the cluster grew.
Alexandra Hospital has disinfected all the areas the basic care assistant who tested positive for Covid-19 had been in.ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Ang Qing
May 20, 2021
SINGAPORE - Visitors will be barred from a ward in Alexandra Hospital until further notice after an employee tested positive for Covid-19.
She was among the four unlinked cases reported by the Health Ministry on Wednesday (May 19).
In a Facebook post on Thursday morning, the hospital said the 24-year-old Singaporean provided basic nursing care in the affected ward.
It added that the employee had adhered to personal protective equipment guidelines.
As contact tracing and swabbing of close contacts are ongoing, visitors will not be allowed until further notice. The hospital has also disinfected all the areas the basic care assistant had been in.
On Monday, she had returned to work after 10 days' leave, said the hospital.
On the same morning, she underwent staff surveillance testing and was asymptomatic then.
However, she developed a cough later in the day.
Her test result on Tuesday was initially inconclusive and she was immediately isolated.
A second test the same day came back positive for the virus.
The basic care assistant is now being cared for in an isolation room at the hospital and is currently well, the hospital said.
"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused... We are also updating and supporting the well-being of our patients and families," it added.
Are you sure it is just one ward?
It started with one ward in Tan Tock Seng Hospital before the cluster grew.
Visitors to Alexandra Hospital ward barred after employee tests positive for Covid-19
Alexandra Hospital has disinfected all the areas the basic care assistant who tested positive for Covid-19 had been in.ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Ang Qing
May 20, 2021
SINGAPORE - Visitors will be barred from a ward in Alexandra Hospital until further notice after an employee tested positive for Covid-19.
She was among the four unlinked cases reported by the Health Ministry on Wednesday (May 19).
In a Facebook post on Thursday morning, the hospital said the 24-year-old Singaporean provided basic nursing care in the affected ward.
It added that the employee had adhered to personal protective equipment guidelines.
As contact tracing and swabbing of close contacts are ongoing, visitors will not be allowed until further notice. The hospital has also disinfected all the areas the basic care assistant had been in.
On Monday, she had returned to work after 10 days' leave, said the hospital.
On the same morning, she underwent staff surveillance testing and was asymptomatic then.
However, she developed a cough later in the day.
Her test result on Tuesday was initially inconclusive and she was immediately isolated.
A second test the same day came back positive for the virus.
The basic care assistant is now being cared for in an isolation room at the hospital and is currently well, the hospital said.
"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused... We are also updating and supporting the well-being of our patients and families," it added.
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- Jul 25, 2008
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- 12,562
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You see lah! Now Sinkies got one less place to travel.
All travellers from Singapore will be required to undergo self-isolation in a hotel for a period determined by Brunei's Health Ministry.ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Kok Yufeng
May 20, 2021
SINGAPORE - Brunei will temporarily suspend its reciprocal green lane arrangement with Singapore from 7pm on Thursday (May 20) until further notice.
Travellers who have already been approved to enter Brunei under the arrangement can continue to do so until the 7pm cut-off time, the kingdom's Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Wednesday (May 19).
After that time, all travellers from Singapore will be required to undergo self-isolation in a hotel for a period determined by Brunei's Health Ministry, which is continuously reviewing the risk assessment of all countries, areas and regions affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This latest suspension means that just one of seven reciprocal green lanes established between Singapore and other countries remains open - the arrangement with China.
The first reciprocal green lane to be suspended was the arrangement between Singapore and Indonesia. This came after Indonesia temporarily banned the entry of all foreign nationals for two weeks between Jan 1 and Jan 14. The green lane has not been re-established.
Japan suspended its reciprocal green lane arrangement with Singapore from Jan 14 after it declared a state of emergency in December.
Then in February, the Republic suspended the arrangements with Germany, Malaysia and South Korea.
Reciprocal green lanes are meant to facilitate short-term essential business and official travel.
Travellers entering Singapore under such arrangements must be sponsored by a company or a Government agency here, and are tested before departure and on arrival to ensure they do not carry the virus.
They must self-isolate on arrival until they receive a negative Covid-19 test result.
These travellers must also adhere to a pre-submitted 14-day itinerary, commute using only private-hire cars, taxis or cohorted company transport, and download the TraceTogether application.
On Thursday, Singapore's Health Ministry confirmed another 27 new Covid-19 cases in the community, of which six are unlinked.
There have been 187 community cases in the past week, up from 49 cases in the week before.
The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from nine cases in the week before to 49 cases in the past week.
Brunei to suspend reciprocal green lane with Singapore from 7pm on May 20
All travellers from Singapore will be required to undergo self-isolation in a hotel for a period determined by Brunei's Health Ministry.ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Kok Yufeng
May 20, 2021
SINGAPORE - Brunei will temporarily suspend its reciprocal green lane arrangement with Singapore from 7pm on Thursday (May 20) until further notice.
Travellers who have already been approved to enter Brunei under the arrangement can continue to do so until the 7pm cut-off time, the kingdom's Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Wednesday (May 19).
After that time, all travellers from Singapore will be required to undergo self-isolation in a hotel for a period determined by Brunei's Health Ministry, which is continuously reviewing the risk assessment of all countries, areas and regions affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This latest suspension means that just one of seven reciprocal green lanes established between Singapore and other countries remains open - the arrangement with China.
The first reciprocal green lane to be suspended was the arrangement between Singapore and Indonesia. This came after Indonesia temporarily banned the entry of all foreign nationals for two weeks between Jan 1 and Jan 14. The green lane has not been re-established.
Japan suspended its reciprocal green lane arrangement with Singapore from Jan 14 after it declared a state of emergency in December.
Then in February, the Republic suspended the arrangements with Germany, Malaysia and South Korea.
Reciprocal green lanes are meant to facilitate short-term essential business and official travel.
Travellers entering Singapore under such arrangements must be sponsored by a company or a Government agency here, and are tested before departure and on arrival to ensure they do not carry the virus.
They must self-isolate on arrival until they receive a negative Covid-19 test result.
These travellers must also adhere to a pre-submitted 14-day itinerary, commute using only private-hire cars, taxis or cohorted company transport, and download the TraceTogether application.
On Thursday, Singapore's Health Ministry confirmed another 27 new Covid-19 cases in the community, of which six are unlinked.
There have been 187 community cases in the past week, up from 49 cases in the week before.
The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from nine cases in the week before to 49 cases in the past week.
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Which is more important?
Letting in a few Indians or letting thousands of graduates have a proper convocation to commemorate an important milestone in their lives?
NUS will shift its ceremonies online while NTU has opted to postpone all in-person events.PHOTO: ST FILE
Ng Wei Kai
May 20, 2021
SINGAPORE - Two of Singapore's largest universities have decided not to hold in-person graduation ceremonies amid a recent spike in Covid-19 cases.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) will shift its ceremonies online while Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has opted to postpone all in-person events.
Both tertiary institutions said their decisions were based on uncertainty surrounding an ever-evolving Covid-19 situation in Singapore - even though the events were scheduled to take place after June 13, when heightened restrictions are expected to end.
For NUS, in-person graduation ceremonies were slated to take place from June 17 to the end of July. NTU planned to hold its ceremonies in July.
NUS students who graduated last year (2020) and had their graduation ceremonies postponed to this year will also have to make do with a virtual ceremony.
NUS president Tan Eng Chye, in a note to staff and students on Wednesday (May 20), said: "The decision to move to online ceremonies was not made lightly... However, health and safety is critical when planning an event of this scale, and given the prevailing challenging circumstances, we do not wish to place all those in attendance at risk."
NTU president Subra Suresh and deputy president and provost Ling San, in a similar note to NTU's graduating batch on Tuesday, said: "NTU takes great pride in our convocation tradition, and we strive to provide you every opportunity to celebrate your accomplishments in person with your family, friends, fellow students, faculty, and staff of the university.
"We look forward to gathering on campus to celebrate your graduation when it is safe to do so."
The note said new dates for the ceremonies would be released soon, and that students who have completed their studies will receive transcripts to help them find jobs.
The Singapore Management University has not yet made a decision on its graduation ceremonies.
Letting in a few Indians or letting thousands of graduates have a proper convocation to commemorate an important milestone in their lives?
NUS graduations to go online, NTU to postpone in-person ceremonies
NUS will shift its ceremonies online while NTU has opted to postpone all in-person events.PHOTO: ST FILE
Ng Wei Kai
May 20, 2021
SINGAPORE - Two of Singapore's largest universities have decided not to hold in-person graduation ceremonies amid a recent spike in Covid-19 cases.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) will shift its ceremonies online while Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has opted to postpone all in-person events.
Both tertiary institutions said their decisions were based on uncertainty surrounding an ever-evolving Covid-19 situation in Singapore - even though the events were scheduled to take place after June 13, when heightened restrictions are expected to end.
For NUS, in-person graduation ceremonies were slated to take place from June 17 to the end of July. NTU planned to hold its ceremonies in July.
NUS students who graduated last year (2020) and had their graduation ceremonies postponed to this year will also have to make do with a virtual ceremony.
NUS president Tan Eng Chye, in a note to staff and students on Wednesday (May 20), said: "The decision to move to online ceremonies was not made lightly... However, health and safety is critical when planning an event of this scale, and given the prevailing challenging circumstances, we do not wish to place all those in attendance at risk."
NTU president Subra Suresh and deputy president and provost Ling San, in a similar note to NTU's graduating batch on Tuesday, said: "NTU takes great pride in our convocation tradition, and we strive to provide you every opportunity to celebrate your accomplishments in person with your family, friends, fellow students, faculty, and staff of the university.
"We look forward to gathering on campus to celebrate your graduation when it is safe to do so."
The note said new dates for the ceremonies would be released soon, and that students who have completed their studies will receive transcripts to help them find jobs.
The Singapore Management University has not yet made a decision on its graduation ceremonies.
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Tension flare and bigotism rears its ugly head in the community. Neighbours vs neighbours.
One of the alleged offenders, Lim Sok Lay, was charged with six counts of harassment and one count of being a public nuisance.PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM JIBBY4G/INSTAGRAM
Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent
May 21, 2021
SINGAPORE - A couple appeared in the district court on Friday (May 21) after allegedly harassing their front-liner neighbours amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
A male nurse, who works at Sengkang General Hospital, and his family are said to be the victims.
One of the alleged offenders, Lim Sok Lay, 48, was charged with five counts of harassment and one count of being a public nuisance.
Her husband, Cheang Eng Hock, 56, was handed two harassment charges.
The police said in a statement on Thursday that the pair had allegedly used vulgarities and made insulting remarks to their neighbours, sprayed disinfectant towards them and their flat, and splashed water along the common corridor.
They added that they received a report on May 15 last year about the alleged offenders' antics. Officers then started investigating the case.
All parties involved in the incidents went through mediation at the Community Mediation Centre last June to seek a resolution to the matter.
Despite this, the police said they continued receiving reports between last October and this January about more acts of harassment by the alleged offenders.
Investigations are still ongoing against Lim over fresh offences she had allegedly committed against her neighbours that were reported last month, the police added.
Lim is being remanded at the Institute of Mental Health and will be back in court on June 4.
Cheang, whose bail was set at $5,000, will return to court on June 18.
In their statement, the police said: "Over the course of investigations, (we) have remained in contact with the parties involved and advised all parties to minimise contact and interactions with each other.
"The police do not condone any behaviour that impacts the public's sense of safety and security in the neighbourhoods. We urge members of the public to practise neighbourliness and work together to overcome Covid-19."
For each count of harassment, an offender can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $5,000.
All parties involved in the incidents went through mediation at the Community Mediation Centre last June to seek a resolution to the matter. PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM JIBBY4G/INSTAGRAM
Couple who allegedly harassed front-liner neighbours charged in court
One of the alleged offenders, Lim Sok Lay, was charged with six counts of harassment and one count of being a public nuisance.PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM JIBBY4G/INSTAGRAM
Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent
May 21, 2021
SINGAPORE - A couple appeared in the district court on Friday (May 21) after allegedly harassing their front-liner neighbours amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
A male nurse, who works at Sengkang General Hospital, and his family are said to be the victims.
One of the alleged offenders, Lim Sok Lay, 48, was charged with five counts of harassment and one count of being a public nuisance.
Her husband, Cheang Eng Hock, 56, was handed two harassment charges.
The police said in a statement on Thursday that the pair had allegedly used vulgarities and made insulting remarks to their neighbours, sprayed disinfectant towards them and their flat, and splashed water along the common corridor.
They added that they received a report on May 15 last year about the alleged offenders' antics. Officers then started investigating the case.
All parties involved in the incidents went through mediation at the Community Mediation Centre last June to seek a resolution to the matter.
Despite this, the police said they continued receiving reports between last October and this January about more acts of harassment by the alleged offenders.
Investigations are still ongoing against Lim over fresh offences she had allegedly committed against her neighbours that were reported last month, the police added.
Lim is being remanded at the Institute of Mental Health and will be back in court on June 4.
Cheang, whose bail was set at $5,000, will return to court on June 18.
In their statement, the police said: "Over the course of investigations, (we) have remained in contact with the parties involved and advised all parties to minimise contact and interactions with each other.
"The police do not condone any behaviour that impacts the public's sense of safety and security in the neighbourhoods. We urge members of the public to practise neighbourliness and work together to overcome Covid-19."
For each count of harassment, an offender can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $5,000.
Last edited:
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- 113
This will not be the only block to be tested in days to come.
A mandatory testing operation for Covid-19 will be conducted at the void deck of Block 506, after several residents were found to be infected.PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOOGLE MAPS
Adeline Tan
May 21, 2021
SINGAPORE - All residents of Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 will have to be tested for Covid-19 as a precaution, after a few cases were found to be living there.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (May 20) said the mandatory testing operation will be conducted at the void deck of the block on Friday and Saturday, and leaflets have been distributed to the residents. They will also receive an SMS notification.
Residents of the block should monitor their health closely and see a doctor immediately if they feel unwell, the ministry said.
This is the second Housing Board block whose residents have to undergo mass testing, after MOH offered testing last July to 58 households in a block in Tampines linked to known Covid-19 clusters. A total of 123 people who lived at or visited Block 111 Tampines Street 11 tested negative.
The man had been warded in Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Ward 9D on April 22, and was confirmed to have Covid-19 on April 30.
He had not been vaccinated against Covid-19 and had a history of lung cancer and atrial fibrillation.
Of these 27 cases, 15 had already been quarantined and six are unlinked.
One of the quarantined cases is a 12-year-old male pupil at Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) who is a family member of a 46-year-old female Singaporean investment banker at DBS Bank.
He was placed on quarantine on May 17, and was tested the next day after he developed d a fever, cough and runny nose. His test result came back positive on May 19.
The Changi Airport cluster has grown to 100 people, including two female students - a 14-year-old and an eight-year-old who are members of the same family - from Madrasah Al-Ma'arif Al-Islamiah, an Islamic school in Geylang.
Both of them have been linked to a cleaner who tested positive on Sunday.
Another case in the cluster is a 63-year-old male Singaporean who is employed by Certis as an aviation security officer at Changi Airport Terminal 3. He is asymptomatic, and his infection was detected when he was tested on Sunday as part of rostered routine testing. On the same day, as he had been identified as a family member of another Covid-19 patient, he was placed on quarantine.
His pooled test result came back positive for the virus on Monday, and his individual test result came back positive on Wednesday. His serology test result is negative for the N antigen, which suggests the presence of early infection, said MOH. He had received his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Jan 21, and the second dose on Feb 14.
One of the six unlinked cases is a 49-year-old housewife who did not seek treatment immediately after developing a fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and loss of taste and smell last Friday. She went to a general practitioner on Tuesday and tested positive for the virus.
The new community cases also include a Singapore Polytechnic (SP) student, a prison inmate and a clinic assistant at Etern Medical Clinic in Punggol.
The 19-year-old SP student, who is currently unlinked, was last in school last Saturday and fell sick on the same day.
Meanwhile, the 32-year-old clinic assistant at Etern Medical Clinic has been linked to a 32-year-old IT engineer who works at AbbVie Operations Singapore.
In the same cluster as the clinic assistant is a 3-year-old girl who attends the preschool Skool4kidz Centre in Punggol. She was asymptomatic and was detected when she was tested on May 18 during her quarantine period. Her test result came back positive on May 19.
There were also 14 imported cases who had been placed on stay-home notice on arrival in Singapore, said the ministry.
There are currently 240 confirmed cases in hospital, said MOH. Of these, most are stable or improving, and four are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Another 229 patients are in community facilities.
Hougang HDB block residents to be tested for Covid-19 after cases found there
A mandatory testing operation for Covid-19 will be conducted at the void deck of Block 506, after several residents were found to be infected.PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOOGLE MAPS
Adeline Tan
May 21, 2021
SINGAPORE - All residents of Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 will have to be tested for Covid-19 as a precaution, after a few cases were found to be living there.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (May 20) said the mandatory testing operation will be conducted at the void deck of the block on Friday and Saturday, and leaflets have been distributed to the residents. They will also receive an SMS notification.
Residents of the block should monitor their health closely and see a doctor immediately if they feel unwell, the ministry said.
This is the second Housing Board block whose residents have to undergo mass testing, after MOH offered testing last July to 58 households in a block in Tampines linked to known Covid-19 clusters. A total of 123 people who lived at or visited Block 111 Tampines Street 11 tested negative.
32nd Covid-19 death
MOH also said a 70-year-old Singaporean man died from complications related to Covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number of such deaths here to 32.The man had been warded in Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Ward 9D on April 22, and was confirmed to have Covid-19 on April 30.
He had not been vaccinated against Covid-19 and had a history of lung cancer and atrial fibrillation.
Changi Airport cluster grows to 100 cases
Separately, a Singapore Polytechnic (SP) student, a prison inmate, and a clinic assistant at Etern Medical Clinic in Punggol were among the 27 new community cases reported on Thursday.Of these 27 cases, 15 had already been quarantined and six are unlinked.
One of the quarantined cases is a 12-year-old male pupil at Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) who is a family member of a 46-year-old female Singaporean investment banker at DBS Bank.
He was placed on quarantine on May 17, and was tested the next day after he developed d a fever, cough and runny nose. His test result came back positive on May 19.
The Changi Airport cluster has grown to 100 people, including two female students - a 14-year-old and an eight-year-old who are members of the same family - from Madrasah Al-Ma'arif Al-Islamiah, an Islamic school in Geylang.
Both of them have been linked to a cleaner who tested positive on Sunday.
Another case in the cluster is a 63-year-old male Singaporean who is employed by Certis as an aviation security officer at Changi Airport Terminal 3. He is asymptomatic, and his infection was detected when he was tested on Sunday as part of rostered routine testing. On the same day, as he had been identified as a family member of another Covid-19 patient, he was placed on quarantine.
His pooled test result came back positive for the virus on Monday, and his individual test result came back positive on Wednesday. His serology test result is negative for the N antigen, which suggests the presence of early infection, said MOH. He had received his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Jan 21, and the second dose on Feb 14.
One of the six unlinked cases is a 49-year-old housewife who did not seek treatment immediately after developing a fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and loss of taste and smell last Friday. She went to a general practitioner on Tuesday and tested positive for the virus.
The new community cases also include a Singapore Polytechnic (SP) student, a prison inmate and a clinic assistant at Etern Medical Clinic in Punggol.
The 19-year-old SP student, who is currently unlinked, was last in school last Saturday and fell sick on the same day.
Meanwhile, the 32-year-old clinic assistant at Etern Medical Clinic has been linked to a 32-year-old IT engineer who works at AbbVie Operations Singapore.
In the same cluster as the clinic assistant is a 3-year-old girl who attends the preschool Skool4kidz Centre in Punggol. She was asymptomatic and was detected when she was tested on May 18 during her quarantine period. Her test result came back positive on May 19.
There were also 14 imported cases who had been placed on stay-home notice on arrival in Singapore, said the ministry.
The 41 new cases took Singapore's total to 61,730.There are currently 240 confirmed cases in hospital, said MOH. Of these, most are stable or improving, and four are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Another 229 patients are in community facilities.
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More testing! How much has the government spent on testing?
Changi Prison Complex consists of two clusters – Cluster A and Cluster B – which contain five institutions each.PHOTO: ST FILE
Lim Min Zhang
May 21, 2021
SINGAPORE - More inmates, prison staff and vendors from areas not affected by a recent cluster of coronavirus cases at Changi Prison Complex will be undergoing Covid-19 tests as a precaution, said the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) on Friday (May 21).
They are from Changi Prison Complex's Cluster B, as well as from Selarang Park Complex and Institution Tanah Merah 1, said SPS in response to queries from The Straits Times.
The tests are being done despite there being no evidence that the virus has spread beyond those who work at the prison kitchen at Institution A5 in the prison complex's Cluster A, where a Covid-19 cluster surfaced last weekend.
There are presently eight cases in the cluster.
Changi Prison Complex consists of two clusters – Cluster A and Cluster B – which contain five institutions each.
More than 5,000 inmates, staff and partners in Cluster A have already been tested at least once, and will be tested a second time in the coming days, said SPS.
Other than those who worked in Institution A5's kitchen, there has not been any other positive case, it added.
A 41 year-old male inmate who was already quarantined was added to the cluster on Thursday (May 20), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a statement.
Five of the eight in the cluster are inmates. Covid-19 positive inmates are quarantined for close monitoring by a medical team at a centre in the Selarang Park Complex.
They were all close contacts of a 39-year-old Chinese national who works for Sats Food Services as a chef at Institution A5's kitchen. The remaining two cases in the cluster are his household contacts.
The latest inmate added to the cluster was placed on quarantine on May 13, the same day the Sats Food Services chef had tested positive.
Asked how meals are currently being served to those in Institution A5, SPS said meals for inmates from Cluster A are currently being catered by external sources, in line with SPS' business continuity plans. Inmates have their meals in their cells.
Activities in Institution A5, such as family visits, counselling sessions and rehabilitation programmes involving vendors and volunteers, have been suspended as a precautionary measure.
Inmates are also provided with reading materials and board games.
Prison officers also conduct patrols to check on inmates who may require further support for their mental well-being, said SPS.
"Inmates in the non-affected prison institutions are gradually resuming their recreational activities, and virtual rehabilitation programmes with staff and vendors/volunteers," it added.
More inmates and staff at Changi Prison Complex to be tested for Covid-19 as a precaution
Changi Prison Complex consists of two clusters – Cluster A and Cluster B – which contain five institutions each.PHOTO: ST FILE
Lim Min Zhang
May 21, 2021
SINGAPORE - More inmates, prison staff and vendors from areas not affected by a recent cluster of coronavirus cases at Changi Prison Complex will be undergoing Covid-19 tests as a precaution, said the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) on Friday (May 21).
They are from Changi Prison Complex's Cluster B, as well as from Selarang Park Complex and Institution Tanah Merah 1, said SPS in response to queries from The Straits Times.
The tests are being done despite there being no evidence that the virus has spread beyond those who work at the prison kitchen at Institution A5 in the prison complex's Cluster A, where a Covid-19 cluster surfaced last weekend.
There are presently eight cases in the cluster.
Changi Prison Complex consists of two clusters – Cluster A and Cluster B – which contain five institutions each.
More than 5,000 inmates, staff and partners in Cluster A have already been tested at least once, and will be tested a second time in the coming days, said SPS.
Other than those who worked in Institution A5's kitchen, there has not been any other positive case, it added.
A 41 year-old male inmate who was already quarantined was added to the cluster on Thursday (May 20), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a statement.
Five of the eight in the cluster are inmates. Covid-19 positive inmates are quarantined for close monitoring by a medical team at a centre in the Selarang Park Complex.
They were all close contacts of a 39-year-old Chinese national who works for Sats Food Services as a chef at Institution A5's kitchen. The remaining two cases in the cluster are his household contacts.
The latest inmate added to the cluster was placed on quarantine on May 13, the same day the Sats Food Services chef had tested positive.
The inmate was tested that day, and his test result was negative. He developed a runny nose, sore throat, headache and body aches on Wednesday (May 19), and was tested again. The result came back positive that day, said MOH.Asked how meals are currently being served to those in Institution A5, SPS said meals for inmates from Cluster A are currently being catered by external sources, in line with SPS' business continuity plans. Inmates have their meals in their cells.
Activities in Institution A5, such as family visits, counselling sessions and rehabilitation programmes involving vendors and volunteers, have been suspended as a precautionary measure.
SPS has issued electronic tablets to all inmates, pre-loaded with content such as games, news updates and programmes, to keep them engaged, it said.Inmates are also provided with reading materials and board games.
Prison officers also conduct patrols to check on inmates who may require further support for their mental well-being, said SPS.
"Inmates in the non-affected prison institutions are gradually resuming their recreational activities, and virtual rehabilitation programmes with staff and vendors/volunteers," it added.
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So sad all these are happening in Singapore. Why is the govt still not banning flights from high risk countries, especially flights from India? Why are there still imported cases reported daily?
We are a dense population, one little mistake in covid19 can result in a wildfire infection rate.
We are a dense population, one little mistake in covid19 can result in a wildfire infection rate.
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4 cases in Singapore Polytechnic. Swab, swab, swab.
The Year 2 student was last on campus on the morning of May 15.PHOTO: ST FILE
Anjali Raguraman
May 21, 2021
SINGAPORE - A further 2,000 students and staff from Singapore Polytechnic's School of Chemical and Life Sciences (CLS) will be tested for Covid-19 after a fourth student tested positive for the virus.
The second-year student from CLS tested positive on Wednesday (May 19), a spokesman for the polytechnic said on Thursday (May 20) night.
The student was last on campus last Saturday morning. She developed symptoms four days later and consulted a doctor.
"The Ministry of Health (MOH) has assessed that she was not infectious when she was last on campus," the spokesman said.
About 2,000 students and staff from CLS will be added to the first phase of MOH's swabbing exercise at Singapore Polytechnic.
This began on Wednesday for about 6,500 students, staff and vendors who were on campus on or after April 29.
The affected schools are the School of Computing; the Media, Arts and Design School; the School of Business; and the School of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering.
Once this first phase of the swabbing exercise is completed, MOH will assess whether there is a need to proceed with the swabbing exercise for the rest of the Singapore Polytechnic community.
The school added that individuals will be notified by MOH via SMS on the details of their swab tests.
2,000 more students, staff from S'pore Polytechnic to be swabbed after 4th Covid-19 case
The Year 2 student was last on campus on the morning of May 15.PHOTO: ST FILE
Anjali Raguraman
May 21, 2021
SINGAPORE - A further 2,000 students and staff from Singapore Polytechnic's School of Chemical and Life Sciences (CLS) will be tested for Covid-19 after a fourth student tested positive for the virus.
The second-year student from CLS tested positive on Wednesday (May 19), a spokesman for the polytechnic said on Thursday (May 20) night.
The student was last on campus last Saturday morning. She developed symptoms four days later and consulted a doctor.
"The Ministry of Health (MOH) has assessed that she was not infectious when she was last on campus," the spokesman said.
About 2,000 students and staff from CLS will be added to the first phase of MOH's swabbing exercise at Singapore Polytechnic.
This began on Wednesday for about 6,500 students, staff and vendors who were on campus on or after April 29.
The affected schools are the School of Computing; the Media, Arts and Design School; the School of Business; and the School of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering.
Once this first phase of the swabbing exercise is completed, MOH will assess whether there is a need to proceed with the swabbing exercise for the rest of the Singapore Polytechnic community.
The school added that individuals will be notified by MOH via SMS on the details of their swab tests.
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