Changi Prison Chef Tests Positive For Covid-19 On 13 May
On Friday (14 May), the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 24 new Covid-19 infections in the community.
24 New Community Cases On 14 May With 4 Unlinked, 13 Linked To Changi Airport Cluster
One of the 4 unlinked cases was Case 63160, a 39-year-old chef who works at Changi Prison.
On Saturday (15 May), the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) said 5,000 inmates, staff, and vendors at the prison will be tested over the coming days.
Face-to-face visits and tele-visits will also be replaced with phone calls from 17 May until further notice.
5,000 inmates, staff & vendors to be tested in coming days
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), SPS has halted kitchen operations at Institution A5 where the chef worked before confirmation of his infection.
Family members, counselling sessions, and non-critical hospital appointments have also been suspended at the institution for precautionary reasons.
Those who have been identified as close contacts of the infected chef have been isolated or placed on quarantine.
Testing has also commenced for some 1,050 individuals who visited the Institution between Monday (10 May) and Wednesday (12 May).
Over the coming days, 5,000 inmates, staff, and vendors from Cluster A – comprising 5 Institutions including A5 – will be tested for Covid-19.
Visitations replaced with phone calls
As Singapore embarks on Phase 2 Heightened Alert come Sunday (16 May), face-to-face visits and tele-visits for all inmates will also be replaced with phone calls, from 17 May till further notice.
Those who have already booked their visits will automatically have them converted to phone calls.
Inmates can also continue to keep in touch with their families through e-letters, reports The Straits Times (ST).
Chef working at Changi Prison test positive after fever & runny nose
According to MOH, Case 63160 is a 39-year-old man employed by SATS Food Services. He works as a chef at Changi Prison.
He developed symptoms like a fever and runny nose on 12 May and was tested when he sought medical treatment at a clinic.
His results returned positive the next day.
The man had received his 2nd dose of the vaccine on 10 Apr.
Hope inmates will receive necessary support during this difficult time
The suspension of visits at Changi Prison will be especially tough on the inmates as well as their families.
We hope the prison will provide the necessary support during this difficult time.
Let’s hope the tightened measures are successful in keeping the community infections under control so we can return to the relatively normal lifestyle that we’ve become accustomed to during the pandemic.
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