• There are five new community infections and 25 imported cases on Dec 31
• Two new clusters have been linked to the marine sector 
• The Government will step up testing for marine workers in the coming days 

SINGAPORE — Singapore on Thursday (Dec 31) registered 30 new cases of Covid-19. There are five locally transmitted infections and 25 imported cases.

This is the highest daily case tally since Sept 21, when there were 31 coronavirus infections reported. 

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said that of the five cases in the community, two are family members of a marine surveyor who is a Singapore permanent resident. Together, they form one of two new coronavirus clusters linked to the marine sector. 

The origin of the man's infection, which was recorded on Wednesday, remains unknown. 

The 46-year-old works at inspection services company Lloyd’s Register Singapore and his job entails working on board vessels docked at Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard. 

One of his family members who fell ill is a 46-year-old permanent resident who works as a freelance florist at her place of residence on Ghim Moh Road. 

She was identified as a close contact on Dec 29 and placed in home quarantine on Dec 30. 

She developed symptoms that day and was taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). Her test result came back positive for the virus the next day.

The other family member is a 14-year-old permanent resident who was similarly identified as a close contact of the man on Dec 29 and placed in home quarantine the next day with the 46-year-old woman. The teenager is a student of Raffles Girls’ School and was last in school on Dec 23.

The girl was taken to NCID with the woman on Dec 30. Her test result also came back positive on Dec 31 and she started to develop symptoms that day. 

CLUSTER INVOLVING HARBOUR PILOT 

The other three cases in the community make up a family cluster involving a Singaporean harbour pilot with harbour operator PSA Marine. 

The 55-year-old had no symptoms and was picked up on Dec 28 through MOH's Rostered Routine Testing for workers at greater risk of contracting the virus.

His job entails going on board vessels to navigate them through congested waters.

His test came back positive on Dec 30 and he was taken to NCID. His serological test result returned negative, indicating that he did not have a past infection. His earlier tests — the last was on Dec 12 — had been negative.

The man lives in Marine Crescent and often visits his relatives who live in a neighbouring housing block. 

MOH said that on Dec 13, he visited Parkway Parade mall with seven others. That was during the period when gatherings of more than five people are banned. 

Investigations are in progress to assess if there had been any breach of Covid-19 safety regulations.

His relatives, a 79-year-old Singaporean woman who is a retiree and a 50-year-old Singaporean man who is unemployed, also came down with the virus. They, too, live in Marine Crescent. 

On Dec 28, the pair developed symptoms of acute respiratory infection, but did not seek medical treatment. Two days later, they were quarantined after they had been identified as close contacts of the harbour pilot. 

Since they were showing symptoms, they were taken to NCID and later tested positive for Covid-19.

Epidemiological investigations are continuing. In the meantime, all the identified close contacts of the cases, including their family members and co-workers, have been quarantined and will be tested at the start and end of their quarantine periods. 

“We will also conduct serological tests for the close contacts, to determine if the case could have been infected by them,” MOH said. 

The ministry said that on the whole, the number of new cases in the community has risen, with seven cases this past week. Of these, four are linked to previous cases and three have no known sources of infection yet.

MOH added that the recent community cases were a “stark reminder that we cannot afford to let our guard down”, especially during this festive period when there are more social interactions. 

“We must remain disciplined in adhering to the safe-management and safe-distancing measures. Let us work together to avoid an uncontrolled resurgence of cases, which could slow or even reverse our progress.” 

SPECIAL TESTING OPERATION 

In light of the cases involving the marine sector, MOH said that it would start a special operation to test individuals who boarded the ships on which the marine surveyor and harbour pilot recently worked. 

“We will also test harbour pilots, marine surveyors and ship-repair workers in the coming days, regardless of their Rostered Routine Testing schedule, to determine their Covid-19 status,” the ministry said.

“In view of the recent cases involving the marine sector, we will review the need to tighten our precautionary measures for these workers.” 

IMPORTED CASES

For the 25 imported cases reported on Thursday, they were placed on stay-home notices or isolated on arrival in Singapore.

They comprise:

• Two Singaporeans and three permanent residents who returned from India, Indonesia and the United Kingdom

• Two work-pass holders who arrived from the Philippines and India

• Fourteen work-permit holders who came from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines. Nine of these are foreign domestic workers 

• A dependant’s pass holder and a long-term visit pass holder who arrived from India

• A short-term visit pass holder who came from India to visit her Singaporean spouse

• A special-pass holder who is a crew member of a ship that arrived from Hong Kong. He did not leave the vessel until he was taken to a quarantine facility, after being identified as a close contact of an overseas case

UPDATES ON OTHER CASES

The number of Covid-19 cases in Singapore now stands at 58,599.

Of these, 58,449 people have recovered from the virus and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities here, including 38 reported on Thursday. 

There are 57 patients still in hospital. Most are stable or improving, and one is in critical condition under intensive care. 

Sixty-four patients with mild symptoms, or who are clinically well but still test positive for Covid-19, are being isolated and cared for at community facilities. 

Twenty-nine people have died from complications due to Covid-19. 

MARKET, EATERIES ADDED TO LIST

MOH on Thursday added the Geylang Serai Malay Market and Food Centre and three eateries to a list of public places visited by Covid-19 cases during their infectious period.

They visited the market and food centre at 1 Geylang Serai between 12.15pm and 1.45pm on Dec 21.

As for the three eateries on the ministry's list, they are:

• Kampong Glam Cafe at 17 Bussorah Street — visited between 9.35am and 10.15am on Dec 25 by Covid-19 cases when they were infectious 

• New Hawa Restaurant at 428 Changi Road — visited between 10pm and 11pm on Dec 26

• Grand Jete Cafe and Bar at Takashimaya Shopping Centre in Ngee Ann City mall — visited between 12pm and 1pm on Dec 29    

As a precaution, people who were there during these specified periods should monitor their health closely for 14 days from the date of their visit, MOH said.

They should see a doctor promptly if they develop symptoms of acute respiratory infection, such as cough, sore throat or runny nose, as well as fever and loss of taste or smell, and tell the doctor about their exposure history.