Chong Boon Market & Food Centre to close from 18 July; workers quarantined
SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Health (MOH) has ordered the closure of Chong Boon Market & Food Centre to all members of the public from 18 July to 1 August, in an effort to break any chains of transmission and to enable deep cleaning of the premises.
The ministry said in a press release early on Sunday (18 July) morning that it is now investigating two cases who work in or visited Chong Boon Market & Food Centre (453A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10), with three more cases pending confirmation.
All individuals who work in the market and food centre will be placed on quarantine, and tested during quarantine.
This is part of the MOH's investigations into clusters involving markets and food centres. "These clusters are likely seeded by fishmongers who visited the Jurong Fishery Port to collect their stock and sell at the markets," it said.
The closure of Jurong Fishery Port and Hong Lim Market & Food Centre was announced on Friday. The Jurong Fishery Port/ Hong Lim Market & Food Centre cluster now has 19 cases with 11 new ones added on Saturday.
MOH has detected cases among fishmongers working at the following places:
Amoy Street Food Centre
Chong Pang Market & Food Centre
Whampoa Wet Market
Telok Blangah Crescent Block 11
Taman Jurong Market
Redhill Market
Geylang Serai Malay Market
Geylang Bahru Market
527 Ang Mo Kio Market
726 West Coast Wet Market
Bukit Timah Wet Market
Most the fishmongers tested positive via Antigen Rapid Tests (ART) and their status are being confirmed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. "Our epidemiological investigations found that they are likely to have been infected through contact with stallholders at Jurong Fishery Port," the MOH said.
Compulsory testing for all fishmongers
Testing of all fishmongers, announced on Saturday, is still ongoing. "As there is risk of transmission to other markets and food centres, we are conducting aggressive contact tracing, quarantine and testing to ringfence the cases and prevent further spread," the ministry said.
Fishmongers from all markets will receive an SMS Health Risk Warning on Sunday, and will be mandated by law to get tested at designated testing centres and self-isolate until they receive a negative test from their first PCR test. They will be issued with self-test ART kits and are required to self-administer an ART test on the seventh day from the last exposure.
"MOH therefore advises all visitors to the markets and food centres to avoid crowds and to do your marketing during off-peak hours, or at supermarkets, and to strictly observe the safe management measures," the Health Ministry said.
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