The Ministry of Health announced 1,111 new cases of Covid-19 on Apr. 21, bringing the total number of cases reported in Singapore to 9,125.
Work Permit holders have in recent weeks made up the majority of new cases reported — 1,050 of the ones reported on Tuesday reside in dormitories, while another 35 new cases are Work Permit holders staying outside dormitories.
The number of new cases involving foreign workers has been on the rapid ascent, attributed in large part to what the government says has been aggressive testing carried out on even asymptomatic residents at the dormitories.
At least 13 dormitory clusters with more than 100 cases
April 21 saw a lengthy list of growing clusters, with 13 of the ones listed currently reporting more than 100 confirmed cases.
Since Monday (Apr. 20), MOH stopped providing details of the individual new cases reported each day, particularly since the daily reported case numbers started exceeding 1,000.
The details of the 13 clusters that have added to their numbers on Tuesday are as follows, in order of decreasing size:
1. S11 Dormitory
166 additional cases are linked to the cluster at S11 Dormitory @ Punggol (2 Seletar North Link), which has a total of 2,143 confirmed cases now.
2. Sungei Tengah Lodge
89 additional cases are linked to the cluster at Sungei Tengah Lodge (500 Old Choa Chu Kang Road), which has a total of 629 confirmed cases now.
3. Tuas View Dormitory
59 additional cases are linked to the cluster at Tuas View Dormitory (70 Tuas South Avenue 1), which has a total of 519 confirmed cases now.
4. Mandai Lodge I
15 additional cases are linked to the cluster at Mandai Lodge I (460 Mandai Road), which has a total of 204 confirmed cases now.
5. Changi Lodge II
156 additional cases are linked to the cluster at Changi Lodge II (80 Tanah Merah Coast Road), which has a total of 182 confirmed cases now.
6. 31 Sungei Kadut Ave
One additional case is linked to the cluster at 31 Sungei Kadut Avenue — where a factory-converted dormitory is located — and that cluster reports a total of 175 confirmed cases now.
7. Westlite Toh Guan
Six additional cases are linked to the cluster at Westlite Toh Guan dormitory (18 Toh Guan Road East), which has a total of 152 confirmed cases now.
8. Kranji Lodge I
29 additional cases are linked to the cluster at Kranji Lodge I (12 Kranji Road), which has a total of 150 confirmed cases now.
9. Cochrane Lodge I
26 additional cases are linked to the cluster at Cochrane Lodge I (51 Admiralty Road West), which has a total of 131 confirmed cases now.
10. Jurong Penjuru Dormitory
47 additional cases are linked to the cluster at Jurong Penjuru Dormitory (58 Penjuru Place), which has a total of 121 confirmed cases now.
11. Cochrane Lodge II
23 additional cases are linked to the cluster at Cochrane Lodge II (49 Admiralty Road West), which has a total of 112 confirmed cases now.
12. North Coast Lodge
26 additional cases are linked to the cluster at North Coast Lodge (51 North Coast Avenue), which has a total of 110 confirmed cases now.
13. Toh Guan Dormitory
Four additional cases are linked to the cluster at Toh Guan Dormitory (19A Toh Guan Road East), which has a total of 104 confirmed cases now.
New measures to curb transmission in dormitories
The number of cases at S11 Dormitory currently far outweighs the rest of the clusters and comprises nearly a third of the cumulative total 7,127 cases reported from Singapore's foreign worker dormitories.
This stands in immense contrast to the largest-reported cluster that did not involve foreign workers — the one connected to the dinner at SAFRA Jurong — that had 47 cases, and was retired after not reporting new cases over 28 days (two incubation cycles).
On Monday (Apr. 20), Manpower Minister Josephine Teo announced more stringent measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 in dormitories.
About 180,000 Work Permit holders and S Pass holders who work in the construction sector, including their dependents, were placed on mandatory Stay-Home Notice (SHN) from April 20 to May 4.
These were strengthened on Tuesday, where Teo announced that all foreign workers staying at dormitories will stop going to work, and will no longer be allowed to enter or leave their dormitory campuses.
This measure kicked in at 11:59pm the same day.
Top photo courtesy of MOM