The passenger on board a Turkish Airlines flight that tested positive for Covid-19 has been identified as a 42-year-old French national who holds a Singapore work pass. He lives in the Mount Sophia area.

Designated as Patient 113 by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its latest update on Thursday (March 5), he had no recent travel history to "affected countries and regions" as defined by MOH, which includes northern Italy, Iran and South Korea.

However, from Feb. 8 to Mar. 3, 2020, he had been in the UK, France and Portugal.

He reported an onset of symptoms on March 3 while on his flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Singapore. He went to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) on March 4, and is currently warded in an isolation room there.

MOH added that prior to his hospital admission, he had visited Gleneagles Hospital for an "unrelated matter".

Contact tracing for other passengers

MOH said in a statement early in the morning of March 5 that a passenger on board Turkish Airlines flight TK54 had tested positive for Covid-19.

The return flight, TK55, was grounded at Changi Airport. Its scheduled departure timing was 11:35pm on March 4.

MOH is now conducting contact tracing for passengers who may have had come into contact with the patient.

The authorities are in contact with the Turkish Embassy in Singapore, and are also assisting the airline and passengers.

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