• Number of Covid-19 cases expected to go up, so the authorities are ramping up testing capacity
• 11,000 tests are being done daily and Singapore’s capacity is “a bit higher” than that, the health minister says
• Those campaigning for General Election are not required to be tested at this point in time
• Second wave of infections in other countries won't affect green lane arrangements
• Full circuit breaker measures unlikely to be imposed again should number of cases rise

SINGAPORE — People with acute respiratory infection, who are aged 13 and above, will be tested for Covid-19 from the first day they see the doctor with such symptoms.

Minister of Health Gan Kim Yong said at a multi-ministry press conference on Thursday (June 25) that this criteria for testing will be put in place from July 1.

He said that while community cases remain low a week into the second phase of the economy reopening, Singapore has to stay vigilant because “the challenge is not over yet”.

The number of cases is expected to go up, he said, and the authorities have to “quickly act” to prevent large clusters from forming. They are therefore ramping up testing capacity to pick up cases faster.

Mr Gan said that those presenting acute respiratory infection symptoms who are aged 45 and above are already being tested.

About 11,000 tests are being done every day and Singapore’s capacity is “a bit higher” than that, he added.

“We have some buffer that will allow us to move on to the acute respiratory infection test which I mentioned earlier.” 

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a press release on Thursday that for children aged 12 and below who are diagnosed with acute respiratory infection, doctors will continue to assess if a test is required, given that there are different clinical considerations for young children.

It added that testing will now also be expanded to include all close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the community, at the start and end of their quarantine period.

There are also plans to test target groups such as frontline staff members interacting with travellers.

To meet the anticipated increase in the number of individuals being tested, the Health Promotion Board will be opening more regional screening centres in the coming weeks.

Asked about whether political parties campaigning in the lead-up to the General Election on July 10 will have to be tested before campaigning activities take place, MOH’s director of medical services, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, said at the press conference that testing is “not required at this point of time”.

However, he reminded candidates and their supporters that they must obey safe distancing measures that have been issued by the Elections Department.

As to whether the Government is planning to downgrade the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (Dorscon) which is at the Orange level now, Assoc Prof Mak said that while the alert level is based on the concern of community spread and Singapore is in a better position now than when the alert level was raised from yellow, there was still a need to “watch the situation closely” before making a decision.

“De-escalating Dorscon isn’t the most important thing right now. Paying attention and being disciplined is the most important,” he said.

TRAVEL AGREEMENTS

During the press conference, the authorities were asked if the “second wave” of infections seen in countries such as South Korea and China would affect the ongoing “green lane” arrangements that the Government has made and is making with other countries. Such agreements allow for essential business travels in limited numbers and with safeguards in place.

In response, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the ministerial task force handling the Covid-19 crisis, said that a “flare-up of a few cases” in these countries will not halt such travel arrangements.

“The green lane arrangements do come with their own safety protocols. It is not about unrestrained travel,” he said.

“Anyone who wants to come on that sort of arrangement… first have to be tested multiple times, during arrival and departure. They will have a controlled itinerary and when they return, they will serve a quarantine.”

He added that the Government will assess if the situation in a country remains under control — where the flare-up of cases do not overwhelm its healthcare system, for example — before proceeding with the green lane arrangements that have been worked out with the country.

ANOTHER CIRCUIT BREAKER UNLIKELY

When asked whether a rise in Covid-19 cases in the future will result in the reintroduction of circuit breaker rules to restrict movement here, Mr Gan said it is unlikely that the full measures — where all activities except for essential ones are halted — will be imposed again.

“It is more likely that we have targeted intervention, which will depend on the nature of the outbreak and the infection, and whether we are able to (contain the outbreak) for a specific setting, specific group of people or specific nature of activities,” he said.

“The important thing for us is to enhance our detection capabilities before such cases happen… doing more surveillance and watching the trends more carefully to help inform us of the status of the infection in the community and to help us react faster.”