SMU & SUSS Confirm 1 Covid-19 Case Each, Exchange & Part-Time Students Respectively
While students are wondering whether the Covid-19 situation will lead to schools closing, 2 local universities are facing a more concerning issue.
On Monday (16 Mar), Singapore Management University (SMU) and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) revealed that their students tested positive for Covid-19.
They didn’t announce campus closure, only that necessary action has been taken for the students’ close contacts.
SMU exchange student tested positive after returning from Spain
SMU informed all faculty members via email that an exchange student from Spain tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday (14 Mar).
Image courtesy of an MS News reader
From the description, the student was likely Case 217 which the Ministry of Health (MOH) disclosed yesterday (15 Mar) as one of 9 imported cases.
The student was last on campus on 6 Mar, before travelling to Spain from 9 to 13 Mar.
He noticed symptoms on his last day there, and took a swab test upon touching down at Changi Airport on 14 Mar.
He then returned to the HDB flat he stayed at with 3 other SMU students to undergo quarantine before test results showed positive later that day.
Following the confirmation, SMU placed all his flatmates, two of whom are also exchange students, on Home Quarantine.
The email didn’t mention any campus-wide changes.
SUSS student was on campus 7 days after noticing symptoms
In a rather shocking revelation, SUSS announced that a part-time Social Work student who tested positive for Covid-19 on 14 Mar had shown up to class on 12 Mar.
This comes after he reported onset of symptoms on 5 Mar.
The student is likely Case 214, who has links to Case 208. Case 214 was one of the 14 new Covid-19 cases MOH announced on Sunday (15 Mar).
While he only “went straight to his classroom and left campus after the lesson”, he still had contact with several other students.
SUSS has placed these students on Leave of Absence (LOA), with possibility of quarantine if the need arises.
Contact tracing is ongoing to find out who else he may have crossed paths with.
Meanwhile, areas which the student had visited have been disinfected, and the university will be increasing campus cleaning to 4 times daily.
Safety measures in place at SMU & SUSS
Campus-wide measures like temperature taking and travel declarations will continue, but schools are not shutting yet.
SUSS has, however, taken a majority of their programmes online and encourages students to use these resources.
Students who may have been in contact with the patients should inform their schools and monitor their health.
For now, let’s hope no new cases will emerge in schools so parents can feel confident that their children are safe.
Featured image adapted from Our School And Us and SMU School of Law.
