After a 15-day streak of no local cases, Singaporeans were surprised to learn of a new community case in today’s update (26 Nov).
The case is currently unlinked.
Investigations further revealed that the patient had dinner with 12 family members at Seoul Garden in Tampines Mall on 21 Nov.
He later developed symptoms of fever and sore throat on 23 Nov.
All of the patient’s close contacts, including his 12 family members, are now under quarantine.
According to Ministry of Health (MOH), today’s community case is Case 58401, a Singaporean employed at Master Systems Marine Pte Ltd as a service engineer.
They revealed that he had dinner with 12 family members at Seoul Garden in Tampines Mall on 21 Nov — just 2 days before showing symptoms of illness.
As the family members sat at 3 tables, they had intermingled with one another.
MOH added that the patient’s 2-year-old niece was also at the dinner. She was on a 5-day MC for runny nose, though she tested negative for Covid-19.
On 23 Nov, he started showing respiratory symptoms such as fever and sore throat. The next day, he went to visit a general practitioner’s clinic and had to undergo testing for Covid-19.
On 25 Nov, he was then transferred to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. There, his test results returned positive.
Investigations are currently underway to review whether there were any breach of safety measures.
As a result, all of his close contacts, including his 12 family members, have been quarantined.
MOH said they will be tested at the start and end of their quarantine period, so that they can pick up asymptomatic cases, if any.
As a service engineer, MOH said he normally worked alone onboard vessels docked at Marina South Pier and West Coast Pier. Even so, he reported that he wore a mask.
He rarely had any interaction with other crew members, except for a supervisor.
When he was not based on vessels, he would work at his office at Vertex Building Tower B located along Ubi Ave 3, and made sure to follow safe distancing measures as well as wear a mask.
The latest development in Singapore’s Covid-19 situation is understandably a major concern. It shows that we aren’t out of the woods yet, despite having a good 2 weeks of zero local cases.
If anything, this update underscores the importance of adhering to safety measures. Wear a mask, practise good hygiene, and stay home if you’re feeling unwell.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and Google Maps.
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