SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 12 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday (Nov 22), all of which were imported infections, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).
This is the largest increase in infections since Nov 13, when 12 imported cases were reported as well.
No locally transmitted cases were reported for the 12th consecutive day.
All the imported COVID-19 cases were placed on stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore, MOH said. They were asymptomatic, and detected from proactive screening and surveillance, the ministry added.
Of the 12 cases, three are Singapore permanent residents who returned from India. Two other cases also arrived from India, a dependent’s pass holder and a student’s pass holder.
Five are work permit holders currently employed in Singapore who arrived from the Philippines and Indonesia.
TWO SHIP CREW MEMBERS AMONG IMPORTED CASES
Two ship crew members are among the imported cases reported on Sunday.
One is a work pass holder who arrived from Indonesia to board a ship docked here. He was isolated upon arrival in Singapore and tested positive for COVID-19 during isolation.
The other is a special pass holder who is a crew member of a ship that arrived from the Philippines. He was isolated and swabbed on the vessel and did not disembark, said the ministry.
THREE MORE CASES DISCHARGED
Three more COVID-19 cases have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 58,067 people have fully recovered from the infection.
There are 26 COVID-19 patients who are still in hospital. Most are stable or improving, and one is in a critical condition in the intensive care unit, said MOH.
Thirty-nine cases are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are people who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.
MOH on Sunday also announced that it has closed the cluster at The Leo dormitory at 23 Kaki Bukit Road 3, as no new cases have been linked to it for the past two incubation periods.
As of Sunday, Singapore has reported a total of 58,160 COVID-19 cases and 28 fatalities from the disease.
DEFERMENT OF SINGAPORE-HONG KONG TRAVEL BUBBLE
The Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble, with its first flights originally scheduled for Sunday, has been deferred for two weeks amid a spike in Hong Kong’s COVID-19 cases.
Under the travel bubble, people would be allowed to travel between the two cities without quarantine or stay-home order but must take a COVID-19 test before departure and upon arrival. There would be no restrictions on the purpose of travel.
Hong Kong reported 43 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, its highest daily toll in nearly three months. Thirty-six of the cases were locally transmitted infections.
A new launch date for the travel bubble will be announced within two weeks, said Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung.
Customers who booked flights under the travel bubble can request refunds of their tickets, said Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific, the two airlines operating the dedicated flights for the travel bubble.
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram