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COVID-19: 4 student cases from 4 schools linked to household infections

SINGAPORE, June 2, 2020  -- A primary school student wearing a face mask is seen on his way to school in Singapore on June 2, 2020. Schools in Singapore reopened on Tuesday as the state embarked on a phased reopening from a COVID-19 "circuit breaker" period to curb the spread of the coronavirus.(Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/xinjiapo via Getty Images)
A primary school student wearing a face mask is seen on his way to school in Singapore on 2 June 2020. (PHOTO: Xinhua via Getty)

SINGAPORE — Four students from four different schools and one teacher from another school were among the new confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday (7 July) noon and linked to household infections, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said.

The students are each from Bedok View Secondary School, East Spring Primary School, Jurong West Primary School and Jurong West Secondary School and the teacher is from Assumption Pathway School, the MOE said in a statement.

While the MOE did not give further details, the Ministry of Health (MOH)’s list of community cases in its daily COVID-19 report indicates that the teacher is a 57-year-old Singaporean man.

Among the other community cases, four of them are of school-going age. They are a 15-year-old female permanent resident linked to the Leo dormitory cluster, an 11-year-old Singaporean boy linked to a previous case (no. 44562), and a 13-year-old Singaporean boy and a nine-year-old Singaporean girl, both of whom are linked to another previous case (no. 44366).

The students were already on Home Quarantine Order (HQO) due to the MOH’s ringfencing measures before they were later swabbed as close contacts of their household members. They were well when they were last in school the previous week.

Investigations are ongoing for the teacher from Assumption Pathway School.

The affected schools have implemented additional precautions to ensure the safety of students and staff, minimise the risk of transmission, and prevent the development of school-based clusters including the thorough cleaning and disinfection of school premises.

About 60 students and 10 staff each in Assumption Pathway School, East Spring Primary School, Jurong West Primary School and Jurong West Secondary School who were in contact with the confirmed cases, have been issued a 14-day Leave of Absence (LOA).

For Bedok View Secondary School, as the student was last in school on 30 June, MOH has assessed the risk of infection for students and staff to be low. Hence, no LOA or HQO has been issued.

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