SINGAPORE: Fourteen more people have tested positive for COVID-19 at welfare home Acacia Home, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said in a statement on Monday (Apr 27).
On Sunday, the authorities reported that a 62-year-old resident of the home had contracted the disease. He tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Saturday.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAs a precautionary measures, 167 people linked to the home were tested for COVID-19 on Sunday. These consisted of 115 residents, 31 staff members and 21 contractors, who had been to the institution to carry out essential work in the past four weeks.
Results on Monday confirmed another 12 residents and two staff members had also contracted the disease. The remaining 153 people tested negative, and contact tracing is ongoing.
All cases linked to the home are warded at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
All staff members and residents of the home have been placed under quarantine, said MSF and MOH.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAcacia Home is a welfare home for destitute persons managed by Sathya Sai Social Service and funded by MSF.
All residents of the home have been placed on quarantine and the premises was also "thoroughly cleaned and disinfected promptly".
"MSF’s immediate priority is to support the home, their staff and the residents," said the statement.
As such, all staff members now have to use full personal protection equipment, and all residents must now always wear a surgical mask.
The home had stopped taking new residents as of Apr 25.
MSF is monitoring the situation closely and will be stepping up checks, the statement added.
As of Monday Singapore has reported 14,423 cases of COVID-19.
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