Primary Case In The Vinyl Bar Cluster Entered From US Via VTL
22 months after Covid-19 1st emerged in Singapore, we seem to have returned to the beginning with the Omicron Variant.
With the original Covid-19, we’ve long since stopped keeping up with every cluster. But we’re now getting updates when Omicron clusters are found.
A bar on River Valley Road is now the scene of our 2nd Omicron cluster.
So far, 10 cases have been linked to it.
All 10 cases fully vaccinated
The cluster was announced in a detailed press release from the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Saturday (25 Dec).
They’re now ringfencing the cases through contact tracing.
Thankfully, all 10 cases have mild or no symptoms. This could be because they’re all fully vaccinated.
Primary case arrived in Singapore on 14 Dec
MOH then gave a detailed explanation of how the cluster came about.
The primary case, identified as Case 280860, arrived in Singapore on 14 Dec.
He travelled from the United States via a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flight.
MOH didn’t reveal whether he was a Singapore resident or tourist.
While he tested negative for Covid-19 upon arrival, he tested positive 4 days later – on 18 Dec.
How The Vinyl Bar cluster spreaded
The day after his arrival (15 Dec), the primary case met a colleague, identified as Case 281477.
On 17 Dec, this colleague visited The Vinyl Bar on 266 River Valley Road. The primary case didn’t even step into the bar.
While at the bar, Case 281477 very likely infected 4 more people:
- A staff member (Case 281876)
- 3 other patrons (Cases 282091, 282143 and 282178)
1 of the infected patrons, Case 282091, then went home and infected 4 members of his household.
Close contacts to undergo quarantine
To simplify rules for close contacts, Singapore put an end to Quarantine Orders (QO) from 11 Oct – or so we thought.
Thanks to Omicron, QOs are back, and they’ll be imposed on staff and visitors who came into close contact with the infected cases at The Vinyl Bar.
Other staff and visitors who were at the bar on 17 Dec at the same time as Case 281477 will also be contacted by MOH.
They will undergo a 1-time targeted Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test as a precautionary measure.
All visitors to the bar should monitor their health and cut down on social interactions. This applies for 14 from the day they visited.
448 Omicron cases in Singapore
MOH also updated the public on the Omicron situation in Singapore as of Christmas Day (25 Dec).
So far, 448 cases have been detected, comprising 369 imported cases and 79 local cases.
This includes the 98 new Omicron cases reported on Christmas Day alone – 16 more than the 82 reported on Christmas Eve.
Among the 98 are 73 imported and 25 local cases, MOH said in a note on their website.
More Omicron cases due to rapid spread across countries
MOH said that the recent surge in Omicron cases in Singapore is due to its “rapid spread” across many countries and regions.
It’s also “a matter of time” before Omicron spreads in our community.
Thus, they advised people to remain vigilant against the virus and get vaccinated/boostered.
Will tightened restrictions return?
The Omicron variant has seemingly taken us back to the 1st days of Covid-19 when every cluster was a big deal, and close contacts were put on quarantine.
Considering the interest from the authorities in response to every Omicron case, Singaporeans may wonder whether tighter restrictions will return once again.
As the large proportion of Omicron cases are imported, it also remains to be seen whether more freezes will be imposed on our VTLs.
In these uncertain times, do stay safe and follow safe distancing guidelines. Don’t assume that just because we’re allowed to enter a place, it’s safe from infection.
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Featured image adapted from The Vinyl Bar on Facebook.
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