The Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed 448 new cases of Covid-19 at 12pm on Thursday, May 21.
This brings the total number of reported cases in Singapore to 29,812.
The majority of the reported infections continue to be work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories.
13 cases are either Singaporeans or Permanent Residents.
Of these, seven cases were picked up from our active surveillance and screening of nursing home residents and preschool staff, and four are part of a family cluster linked to a dormitory.
Epidemiological investigations are ongoing for the other two cases.
Further updates will be shared in a separate announcement from the Ministry on Thursday evening.
Previous cases
Graph via MOH Covid-19 Situation Report
The number of new cases reported daily has been generally on a slight downward trend overall.
Here are the number of new cases reported per day so far in May:
May 1: 932
May 2: 447
May 3: 657
May 4: 573
May 5: 632
May 6: 788
May 7: 741
May 8: 768
May 9: 753
May 10: 876
May 11: 486
May 12: 884
May 13: 675
May 14: 752
May 15: 793
May 16: 465
May 17: 682
May 18: 305
May 19: 451
May 20: 570
Singapore exiting Circuit Breaker in 3 stages, starting June 2
The Covid-19 Multi-Ministry Taskforce on Tuesday announced plans to gradually reopen Singapore in three stages starting June 2, in what Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong describes as Singapore "exiting" Circuit Breaker.
- Phase 1 (Safe Re-opening)
- Phase 2 (Safe Transition)
- Phase 3 (Safe Nation)
Phase 1: Some businesses can reopen, students and children to return to school
In Phase 1, which begins on June 2, everyone should continue to wear masks and only leave home for essential activities.
Seniors are advised to continue staying at home as much as possible as they are a vulnerable group.
Economic activities that do not pose a high risk of infection will be resumed first, but social, recreational and entertainment activities that involve congregations of larger groups of people will have to remain closed.
Changi Airport will also allow overseas travellers to transit here from June 2 onwards, with movement restrictions and careful segregation measures in place.
According to Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, Phase 1 is expected to last minimally four weeks.
Phase 2
If community infection remains low and stable, and dormitory infection rates are under control, Singapore will move on to Phase 2, allowing more activities to resume.
Social activities in small groups will be allowed to take place.
More firms and businesses, starting with F&B dine-in and retail outlets, gyms and fitness studios, and tuition and enrichment centres, will gradually be allowed to re-open if they can provide a safe environment for patrons.
Employers should still ensure that those who can work from home continue to do so.
Depending on the situation, all students will hopefully return to school and IHLs will increase the number of students back on campus. Sports, recreation and outdoor facilities will also start to re-open, subject to safe management practices.
Phase 2 is projected to take months.
Phase 3
In this phase, social, cultural, religious and business gatherings or events would have resumed, although gathering sizes would have to be limited in order to prevent large clusters.
Seniors should be able to resume day-to-day activities while practising safe distancing measures and avoiding peak period travel, crowded places and large groups.
Services and activities that involve significant prolonged close contact (like massages) or significant crowd management risk in an enclosed space (e.g. theatres, bars, and nightclubs) would need to seek permission to re-open, subject to the implementation of effective safety measures.
Minister Wong has also stressed that Phase 3 is not a return to life before Covid-19, as precautions and limits will still be implemented.
Singapore shall remain in Phase 3 until an effective vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 is developed.
Top image via Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Facebook