SINGAPORE: Four new COVID-19 cases linked to the cluster at Wizlearn Technologies in Science Park have emerged, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Saturday (Feb 29).
The new cases, which include a domestic worker from the Philippines, brings the total number of infections in Singapore to 102.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAnother three patients have been discharged (Cases 20, 68 and 75), bringing the number of recovered cases to 72.
Of the 30 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving, said the ministry. Seven are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
COVID-19, which emerged in China late last year, has killed more than 2,800 people and infected more than 80,000, mainly in mainland China.
The virus has also spread across the world, with a rising number of cases reported in more than 50 countries and territories.
AdvertisementAdvertisementEarlier on Saturday, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its global risk assessment of COVID-19 to the "very high" - the highest level.
However, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "We do not see evidence as yet that the virus is spreading freely in communities. As long as that's the case, we still have a chance of containing this virus."
[h=3]Explore: Real-time interactive map of all the confirmed cases reported around the world[/h]Singapore has implemented various measures, including border restrictions, contact tracing and quarantine policies, to contain the spread of the coronavirus since the first case was detected in late January.
A couple from Wuhan were charged under the Infectious Diseases Act on Friday for obstructing the work of health officials containing the spread of COVID-19.
On Wednesday, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said that a man who breached a Stay-Home Notice had lost his permanent residency and will be barred from re-entering Singapore.
Singapore has also set out a slew of measures in Budget 2020 - including a S$4 billion stabilisation and support package - to help businesses and workers weather through the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
The measures are calibrated "to put sufficient purchasing power back into the economy, while injecting a boost of confidence", Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said during the Budget debate on Friday.
Mr Heng also said that Singapore has not had to draw on past reserves, but would not rule out doing so if the situation deteriorates significantly.
Mr Heng also announced on Friday that Singapore will award public officers on the front line of the COVID-19 battle with a special bonus of up to one month, while all political office holders, Members of Parliament and President Halimah Yacob will take a one-month cut in their salary.
[h=3]BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of novel coronavirus and its developments[/h]Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
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