Around 4,800 workers on SHN after COVID-19 cluster was found at Sungei Tengah Lodge
SINGAPORE — Around 4,800 workers have been issued a Stay-Home Notice (SHN) as a precautionary measure to determine their health status, the authorities said on Sunday, a day after a new COVID-19 cluster was reported at Sungei Tengah Lodge (STL).
In a joint statement, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said a total of 58 cases – all asymptomatic – have been linked to the cluster at STL as of Sunday. Singapore's biggest purpose-built dormitory was declared to be fully cleared of the coronavirus last month.
The vast majority of the 58 cases were detected through Rostered Routine Testing (RRT) of the workers with the rest detected as part of testing of persons under quarantine. Contact tracing and epidemiological investigations are ongoing.
The rest of the residents at STL who are not on SHN are either recently recovered workers or were not close contacts of the confirmed cases. “In line with the guidance from the Ministry of Health, these workers will be allowed to continue to work and are not required to be isolated. However, all who are not recently recovered workers will continue to be subjected to RRT,” the statement said.
MOM will be testing the workers on SHN in the next few days. It expects to find among these workers some who have evidence of an old infection and are no longer infectious. Such workers will be released from SHN and can resume work.
Others will test positive and be sent to the community care facility or hospital to receive medical treatment. The remainder who test negative will be quarantined at centralised facilities so as to prevent any workers incubating the virus from infecting the rest of the population.
The BCA has issued a safety time out notice to 20 construction projects where the COVID-19 positive workers had been working.
“This is to allow for disinfection of affected areas and a review of onsite safe management measures. A stop work order may then be issued for part or whole of the worksite once the area where the COVID-positive worker and his co-workers operate, have been identified.”
The builder is required to review his safety management plans and make necessary steps to mitigate any risk of further spread.
The announcement comes as the MOH announced a new cluster was found at Homestay Lodge at Kaki Bukit Avenue with five cases.
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