Overwhelmed by the barrage of coronavirus updates last night? We’ve simplified and summarized everything, here.
The Singaporean government has finally made masks compulsory in public places, more than two months after the country reported its first novel coronavirus case.
Total infections have crossed the 3,000-mark to 3,252 after 334 new cases were reported last night. The death toll has risen to 10 with the latest being a 70-year-old Singaporean man said to be linked to a private dinner at SAFRA Jurong where dozens took ill. He tested positive March 6 and is the first reported death connected to that outbreak cluster.
More than a third of the newly reported cases last night involved migrant workers at the S11 Dormitory @ Punggol, pushing the total infections linked to that cluster to 718.
Two of the new cases also involved health care workers. One is a doctor from Tan Tock Seng Hospital and another is a nurse from the Singapore General Hospital.
More detailed updates below:
Wearing masks now compulsory everywhere
With immediate effect, anyone leaving their homes must put on a face mask or risk being fined S$300 (US$210). Singaporeans can unmask while engaging in strenuous exercises but they would need to put the mask back on once they are done. The mask-wearing rule does not apply to children under 2 for safety reasons.
More services to be categorized as nonessential
The government is tightening the existing list of essential services so that more people can stay at home. Workplaces that do not comply risk S$1,000 fines on the first offense. Expect more services to become inaccessible in the coming days.
18 migrant worker dormitories hit with COVID-19
Here’s the list of dormitories hit by the coronavirus in recent weeks and the number of cases linked to them as of this morning:
- S11 Dormitory @ Punggol: 718
- Sungei Tengah Lodge: 188
- Westlite Toh Guan dormitory: 88
- Toh Guan Dormitory: 73
- Tampines Dormitory: 55
- Cochrane Lodge I: 42
- Cochrane Lodge II: 35
- Acacia Lodge: 30
- Shaw Lodge: 17
- Cassia @ Penjuru: 16
- Tuas View Dormitory: 16
- Kranji Lodge: 12
- PPT Lodge 1A: 11
- Tech Park Crescent dormitory: 11
- North Coast Lodge: 10
- Westlite Woodlands dormitory: 9
- Kranji Dormitory: 7
- 85 Kallang Dormitory: 5
Eight of the dormitories have been put under lock down: S11 Dormitory @ Punggol, Sungei Tengah Lodge, Toh Guan Dormitory, Westlite Toh Guan dormitory, Cochrane Lodge I, Cochrane Lodge II, Tampines Dormitory, and Acacia Lodge.
Other notable statistics you might like to know:
According to the government, more than 6,200 warnings and 500 fines have been issued since the start of Singapore’s virtual lockdown to those who did not comply with safe distancing rules such as dining at eateries or participating in social gatherings.
Out of our total COVID-19 cases so far, only 568 are imported while the rest are locally contracted.
A total of 611 cases have been discharged from hospitals. Among those still testing positive for COVID-19, 1,316 of them require limited medical care and have been transferred to isolation facilities, 1,287 are still in hospital but stable, while another 28 are in critical condition.
Other stories you should see:
COVID-19 Report: Indonesia declares outbreak a national disaster; Malaysia sets price controls
Advocates and patients fume after Singapore deems mental health services ‘nonessential’
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