Coronavirus: church cluster among three new cases in Singapore
- Of the new confirmed cases, one was among the group of Singaporeans evacuated from Wuhan on February 9
- The city state’s total number of cases has reached 89
The Health Ministry also said two more patients had been discharged. There have now be 49 people who have recovered and left hospital.
One of the new cases is a 30-year-old Singaporean woman with no recent travel history to China. She was linked to the republic’s largest cluster, now affecting 23 people, around the Grace Assembly of God church.
The other new case is a 32-year-old man who was among the group of Singaporeans that were evacuated from Wuhan, China on February 9.
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Contact tracing is underway for the remaining case to establish any links to previous cases or travel history to China, the ministry said.
Of the 40 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Five are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Last week, Singapore strengthened its containment measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, requiring citizens and residents returning from mainland China to stay at home at all times for a 14-day period.
Under the new Stay Home Notice regulations, returning Singaporeans and residents are not allowed to leave their homes to buy food or household staples.
On February 18, Singapore Airlines said it would temporarily cut 670 flights on 96 routes across its global network in March, April and May due to weaker demand as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. The city state also said it expected visitor numbers to drop by a quarter or more this year.
