SINGAPORE: Singapore reported a record 942 new coronavirus infections on Saturday (April 18) to take the total count of cases close to 6,000 as the outbreak continues to intensify among low-wage foreign workers living in dormitories.
Migrant workers accounted for "the vast majority” of the new infections reported as of midday on Saturday, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. The number of local cases continued to decline, with just 14 Singaporeans and permanent residents among the daily toll.
Covid-19 infections in foreign-workers’ dormitories is expected to continue growing, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a Facebook post.
He said the majority of these cases have shown mild symptoms.
"In the broader community, there are a few early signs that the circuit breaker is bringing cases down,” he said. "But we are still worried about hidden cases circulating in our population, which are keeping the outbreak going.”
Singapore, which was lauded globally for its efforts to contain the outbreak in its early days, has seen the tightly packed living facilities housing thousands of foreign workers become the biggest challenge in its fight to contain the spread of the virus.
Workers from countries such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan make up the bulk of new infections that have been reported in the past week. Authorities have moved to isolate the clusters, move workers to better living areas and provide medical care.
The ministry will issue a more detailed update later in the day. Singapore has a total of 5,992 Covid-19 cases. - Bloomberg
Migrant workers accounted for "the vast majority” of the new infections reported as of midday on Saturday, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. The number of local cases continued to decline, with just 14 Singaporeans and permanent residents among the daily toll.
Covid-19 infections in foreign-workers’ dormitories is expected to continue growing, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a Facebook post.
He said the majority of these cases have shown mild symptoms.
"In the broader community, there are a few early signs that the circuit breaker is bringing cases down,” he said. "But we are still worried about hidden cases circulating in our population, which are keeping the outbreak going.”
Singapore, which was lauded globally for its efforts to contain the outbreak in its early days, has seen the tightly packed living facilities housing thousands of foreign workers become the biggest challenge in its fight to contain the spread of the virus.
Workers from countries such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan make up the bulk of new infections that have been reported in the past week. Authorities have moved to isolate the clusters, move workers to better living areas and provide medical care.
The ministry will issue a more detailed update later in the day. Singapore has a total of 5,992 Covid-19 cases. - Bloomberg
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