Covid-19: Another foreigner emerges as 9th confirmed case at Boat Quay Hero’s bar cluster

Eight out of nine infected are foreigners, one is a Singapore permanent resident.

Belmont Lay | April 06, 2020, 01:15 AM

Another confirmed Covid-19 case has emerged at Hero's, a sports bar located at 69 Circular Road in Boat Quay.

This brings the total number of cases in the cluster up to nine in total.

This latest Case 1097 was announced by the Ministry of Health on April 3, 2020.

Case 1097 is a 28-year-old woman, who is from the United Kingdom, and is a Long Term Pass holder.

She was confirmed as a positive case on April 3 as a result of a local transmission of the virus.

She is warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

Named a cluster on March 30

Previously, MOH named the bar as a new cluster on March 30, after the emergence of six cases.

The Hero's bar cluster has become a leading vexing example of how local transmissions can occur as a result of individuals having spent time in one location.

Case 1097's confirmation on April 3 also represents a 21-day duration after the first case from the bar was reported on March 13.

Except for the eighth case, who has Singapore permanent resident status, all the other confirmed cases are foreigners.

The eighth case, Case 1013, is a 51-year-old woman, who is a Singapore permanent resident.

The Hero's bar cluster further highlights the threat that local transmission of the virus can pose even over a significant period of time as a result of one initial imported case.

How spread might have occurred

After Case 192 was confirmed on March 13, cases 556, 657, 670 and 813 went to the same bar on March 14.

They reported onset of symptoms between March 17 to 23.

Details:

Case 192: Male, 32, confirmed on March 13, warded at NCID from US

Case 556: Female 27, confirmed March 24, warded at NCID, from Australia, Singapore Work Pass holder

Case 657: Male, 46, confirmed on March 25, warded at NCID, from UK, Singapore Work Pass holder

Case 670: Male, 34, confirmed on March 26, warded at NCID, from Australia, Singapore Work Pass holder

Case 714: Female, 27, confirmed on March 26, warded at NCID, from South Korea, Singapore Work Pass holder, contact of Case 670

Case 813: Female, 29, confirmed on March 28, warded at SGH, from UK, Singapore Work Pass holder

Case 940: Male, 36, confirmed March 31, warded at NUH, from Cameroon, local linked to Hero’s

Case 1013: Female, 51, confirmed April 1, warded at NCID, Singapore Permanent Resident, local linked to Hero's

Case 1097: Female, 28, confirmed April 3, warded at NCID, from UK, Long Term Pass holder, local linked to Hero's

Case 556 link between Hero's and Dover Court International School

Contact tracers have since established links between two Covid-19 clusters in Singapore: Dover Court International School (DCIS) cluster and Hero’s bar cluster.

This was revealed in a press conference on March 31 by the Health Ministry’s Director of Medical Services Kenneth Mak.

The DCIS cluster was identified by MOH on March 25.

The DCIS cluster currently has nine cases: 556, 618, 626, 662, 686, 713, 729, 761 and 1098.

The linking case in both clusters is Case 556.

Case 556 is a teacher at DCIS.

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