A man seen wearing a face mask was escorted out of a condominium in Yishun by at least four people in personal protective equipment.

The photo and the spectacle has sparked interest online in the wake of an explosion of Covid-19 cases in Singapore involving a new cluster caused by uncontrolled mingling of patrons and social hostesses at KTV lounges.

The photo of the man being escorted out was taken at The Criterion condominium at Yishun Street 51.

It is unclear when the photo was taken, but it is believed to have been recent.

It was subsequently confirmed that the condominium was alerted on July 14 to the positive Covid-19 case at one of its blocks.

What people are discussing

In the aftermath of the photo's appearance, four dominant narratives have emerged.

First narrative

The first is to speculate whether this man was part of the new KTV cluster.

The odds that new cases are linked to the patronage of KTVs are high, given that MOH confirmed a total of 56 new locally-transmitted cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, July 14, of which 42 belong to the KTV cluster.

Women aged between 20 and 34 of Korean, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese nationalities have since been arrested for being involved with three KTV lounges that had pivoted towards F&B businesses.

The arrests followed anti-crime operation conducted along South Bridge Road, Selegie Road and Geylang Road on July 13.

Second narrative

The second is regarding how far patient confidentiality extends to shield people who are suspected or confirmed Covid-19 cases from scrutiny given the public exposure involved at times, such as in this instance.

An example of the type of conversations that have taken place on chat groups sharing the photo show that participants were quick to pronounce any possible new infection to be linked to the KTV cluster.

This has led to questions as to whether confidentiality extends to keeping one's Covid-19 infected status from one's spouse or family, which appears unlikely, as people in close proximity to an infected case will be tested.

Third narrative

The third narrative involves associating any possible Covid-19 infection to being an unlucky patron or staff at Block 75 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh Hawker Centre.

This was after a satay stall assistant tested positive for Covid-19 following his visit to a KTV lounge on Sunday, July 11, and appears to be linked to the current KTV cluster.

However, this positive Covid-19 confirmation has caused the entire hawker centre to be shut down to curb any further transmission of Covid-19.

Fourth narrative

The fourth narrative involves dealing with the spectacle of contact tracers or medical and transport staff showing up at one's door, but not having anything to do with the recent KTV clusters.

In such instances, those escorted out may be subjected to unwanted scrutiny as a result of intense public interest in the latest new cases caused by irresponsible behaviour at KTV lounges.

Such a scenario can apply to the above photo shared to group chats.

Confidential testing process for KTV customers

On July 14, at a media doorstop, health minister Ong Ye Kung urged those who had visited KTV lounges or interacted with any hostesses in the past 14 days to get tested.

The first case reported from the cluster is a short-term visitor pass holder from Vietnam who had frequented many KTV outlets.

The patient visited the GP clinic on July 11 with acute respiratory infection symptoms.

"The entire testing process is confidential, and your privacy is protected, so get yourself tested," Ong added.

Ong thanked the over 100 people, including staff and customers of the lounges, who had already got themselves tested the day before.

For those who might be uncomfortable to come forward and get tested, Ong urged them to stay at home at the very least, isolate themselves from their family members, test themselves using Antigen Rapid Test (ART) self-test kits, as well as to monitor their health for the next 14 days.

To make an appointment for a Covid-19 test, click here.

Top photo via WhatsApp & Google Maps