Singapore has cut down the amount of information it provides to the public about new coronavirus cases as total known infections hit 313.
Details such as the date of a patient’s reported onset of symptoms as well as the locations they visited and live in Singapore were not provided in the Health Ministry’s report of 47 new cases last night. The summary of Singapore’s highest single-day increase in infections was condensed into a list consisting of the date of diagnosis, age, gender, admitting hospital, nationality, travel history, links to cases or clusters, and whether they contracted COVID-19 locally or abroad.
Still, the government’s been praised for its transparency and continues to provide more information than many of its regional counterparts.
According to the update, 33 of the new cases were considered to be imported, two were linked to the Church of Singapore and the Boulder+ Gym clusters, and one to a new cluster centered on a mosque in Ang Mo Kio, called Masjid Al Muttaqin. Another six cases announced yesterday were linked to previous infections while the remaining five cases involved local transmissions not associated with previous cases or existing clusters.
“As you have heard, most of these cases are imported ones and the majority are Singaporeans and residents coming back from overseas. We have said this before – fortunately, we have been able to pick them up early, some even right at the airport, some shortly after they come home and see a doctor, and we know that these cases have not gone on to spread to other people. But we cannot afford to take further risks. The numbers of these imported cases are here to rise,” National Development Minister Lawrence Wong told a press conference yesterday.
The government has also enhanced its advisory on deferring nonessential travel. Singaporeans are now urged to defer all travel.
Those coming back to Singapore from anywhere in the world will go straight into a two-week home quarantine, Wong said, adding that the number of cases in Singapore is expected to rise despite the new measure as Singaporean students studying abroad come home.
“And we have to expect, given the way the virus is transmitting overseas, that some of the returning Singaporeans will also be infected,” he said.
Ed. Note: Due to the reduced availability of location information, we will no longer be able to update our map of each infection. Here’s the most recent, inclusive of Singapore’s case Nos. 1 to 247:
Click the top left icon for a list of all cases or on a colored marker directly for more information.
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