Experts in Singapore wary of rise in mutant coronavirus strains amid plans to relaunch Hong Kong travel bubble
- Health care experts say the trend should be closely watched as the island nation continues to open its borders
- They also say the detection of two new local infection clusters in the past week is a sign residents should not let their guard down
While Singapore has largely brought the virus under control, in recent months it has reported between 10 and 40 imported cases a day as foreigners with work passes and student passes return to the country, along with those on dependent passes.
Those arriving from overseas are typically required to quarantine at a government-designated facility or hotel for two weeks, and need to test negative for Covid-19 before they are allowed to roam freely in the Southeast Asian nation. According to the health ministry, travellers entering from Britain and South Africa are required to serve an additional seven-day stay-home notice after the initial quarantine period.
The single locally transmitted case reported on Monday brought the tally for this month to 13, compared with nine locally transmitted cases for the whole of March. However, experts pointed to the detection of two new local infection clusters in the past week as a sign residents should not let their guard down.
One of them involved an Indian national who experienced the onset of Covid-19 symptoms on April 12 when he reported to work at the National University of Singapore, after completing his quarantine obligations following a trip to India from December 28 to March 21. He had tested negative three times during quarantine.
At the centre of the other cluster was a 50-year-old Colombian national who came to Singapore from Papua New Guinea for a project but tested positive on March 30. Four other people, including those on his flight and from his workplace, were later confirmed to be infected.