On Friday (10 Apr), the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) building next to Lavender MRT emerged as one of Singapore’s newest Covid-19 clusters with 5 linked cases to date.
The new cluster is especially worrying, given how members of the public frequently visit the facility for appointments regarding their travel documents.
In a press release, ICA said 3 of the 5 infected patients are ICA officers. The remaining 2 are an auxiliary police officer and a healthcare assistant engaged by the border control agency.
The 3 infected ICA officers are identified as Cases 1553, 1650, and 1698.
Case 1553 is the most worrying of the 3. The 49-year-old officer last reported for work on Monday (6 Apr) and was stationed at the e-Lobby for 2 hours.
During the short stint, he apparently helped customers with their transactions.
Thankfully, he wore a surgical mask throughout the period, which might have minimised the risk of infecting others.
Meanwhile, Cases 1650 and 1698 worked in a staff-only area — probably having less contact with members of the public.
The pair last reported for work last Friday (27 Mar) and Thursday (26 Mar) respectively.
Cases 1733 and 1950, also linked to the ICA building cluster, were external staff engaged by the border control agency.
Case 1733 is a 39-year-old female healthcare assistant who carried out temperature screening for visitors. She last reported for work on Saturday (28 Mar) before developing symptoms.
Case 1950 is a 23-year-old male auxiliary security officer deployed at the ICA headquarters. He last reported for work on Tuesday (7 Apr).
Both of them were wearing surgical masks throughout their shifts.
In light of recent events, the ICA Building will be closed on Saturday (11 Apr) for disinfection.
Customers with appointments today are advised to visit the headquarters on Monday (13 Apr) instead.
ICA will render assistance and support to infected officers during this difficult time.
Other employees found to be in close contact with the confirmed cases have been told to remain at home, and keep a close eye on their health while observing safe distancing measures.
MS News wishes all 5 officers a speedy recovery and hope they’ll be discharged from hospital soon.
While the ICA Building’s closure today would bring about inconvenience for customers with appointments, we hope they understand that the move was carried out in the public’s best interest.
As for the rest of us, let’s do our part by adhering to the ‘Circuit Breaker’ measures and avoiding all social gatherings as much as possible.
Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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