SINGAPORE — Five visitors to the Bukit Merah View market and a neighbouring block have tested positive for Covid-19, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday (June 16).

In an update on the testing operations conducted there, MOH said that it has concluded the mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on Tuesday.

A total of 3,387 visitors to 115 and 116 Bukit Merah View had “voluntarily stepped forward” to be tested for the coronavirus.

Block 115 refers to the Bukit Merah View Market and Food Centre, while Block 116 is the neighbouring block.

Among the visitors who were swabbed, 2,365 people have tested negative, five were positive, and the test results of 1,017 people are still pending. 

All 144 owners, tenants and workers of shops and commercial units at Block 116 were tested and their results came back negative.

MOH said that 239 staff members and tenants who have been working at the Bukit Merah View market and hawker centre from May 25 have been placed on quarantine since June 12.

“So far, 14 have tested positive for Covid-19,” it said.

In a separate update on the Covid-19 situation in Singapore, MOH said that the cluster at Bukit Merah View has grown to 39 cases, with the addition of 14 more on Wednesday.

These include the following whose infections were detected through the testing of visitors to Blocks 115 and 116 Bukit Merah View:

• A 64-year-old male Singaporean taxi driver who frequently visited the market and food centre

• An 84 -year-old female Singaporean retiree and a household contact of an earlier case

• A 49-year-old female Singaporean who works as a sales coordinator at medical equipment supplier Gold Lite located at Henderson Industrial Park in Bukit Merah.

ONE POSITIVE CASE FROM ION ORCHARD TESTING

MOH also said that it has concluded its testing operations at Ion Orchard mall and found one visitor who tested positive for Covid-19.

Of the 11,395 visitors who stepped forward voluntarily to be tested, 10,248 people did not have the coronavirus while 1,146 other test results are pending.

It added that all of the 3,464 staff members and visitors who were made to take the compulsory tests have tested negative for the virus.

On Wednesday, Singapore reported 24 new infections — 19 of which were in the community.

The total number of Covid-19 cases is now 62,339.