Singapore
Cases linked to the KTV cluster include a passenger on a Dream Cruises ship who was identified as a close contact of another case.
Club De Zara at Textile Centre on Jul 14, 2021. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
By Ang Hwee Min 14 Jul 2021 05:06PM (Updated: 14 Jul 2021 05:30PM )
SINGAPORE: A total of 41 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore are linked to the KTV lounge cluster, a situation that Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said is “very troubling and disappointing”.
The 41 cases are among 56 new locally transmitted infections announced on Wednesday (Jul 14).
There are now 53 cases linked to the KTV lounge cluster, including a passenger of a Dream Cruises ship who tested positive on board.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mr Ong said: “We knew about cases like that happening in Korea, in Hong Kong nightlife, people coming very close together, some with hostesses, and leading to big clusters. So we have never allowed such activities for the past more than one year.
“And so any outlets providing hostess services, dice games and all this very close contact, were never allowed, knowing and learning from the experiences of places like Hong Kong and Korea. So for this to now happen has been troubling (and) disappointing.”
The police will take action against lounges and hostesses who may have breached safe management measures, he added.
INDEX CASE
The "index case" or first reported case in the KTV cluster was detected when a short-term visit pass holder from Vietnam visited a general practitioner clinic on Jul 11 with acute respiratory infection symptoms.
She was taken to a hospital after testing positive. Authorities then started contact tracing and epidemiological investigations, and discovered that the woman had frequented many KTV outlets, said the Ministry of Health's (MOH) director of medical services Kenneth Mak.
Some of the COVID-19 cases lived with her in the same household, said Associate Professor Mak.
Of the 41 new cases linked to the cluster, nine were already placed in quarantine and the rest were detected through surveillance, he added.
The Dream Cruises passenger was immediately isolated on board after he was identified as a close contact of a confirmed case on land. The ship returned to Singapore at around 6.30am on Wednesday, hours before it was scheduled to return at 9am on the same day.
People who have visited KTV lounges in the past 14 days, or from Jun 29, should come forward to get tested for COVID-19, said the Health Minister.
“If you’re still somehow uncomfortable for whatever reason, and really don’t feel like doing it, at the very least I can only urge you if you’ve visited KTV lounges and interacted with hostesses since Jun 29, at the very least stay at home, tell your family about it,” he added.
“Make sure you have your own room, isolate yourself, get your family to buy you some ART kits, test yourself, don’t interact with anybody, and monitor your health for the next 14 days.”
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
Source: CNA/zl
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41 new COVID-19 cases linked to KTV cluster; situation ‘troubling and disappointing’, says Ong Ye Kung
Cases linked to the KTV cluster include a passenger on a Dream Cruises ship who was identified as a close contact of another case.
Club De Zara at Textile Centre on Jul 14, 2021. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
By Ang Hwee Min 14 Jul 2021 05:06PM (Updated: 14 Jul 2021 05:30PM )
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SINGAPORE: A total of 41 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore are linked to the KTV lounge cluster, a situation that Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said is “very troubling and disappointing”.
The 41 cases are among 56 new locally transmitted infections announced on Wednesday (Jul 14).
There are now 53 cases linked to the KTV lounge cluster, including a passenger of a Dream Cruises ship who tested positive on board.
READ: Dream Cruises ship returns to Singapore after COVID-19 case on board
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mr Ong said: “We knew about cases like that happening in Korea, in Hong Kong nightlife, people coming very close together, some with hostesses, and leading to big clusters. So we have never allowed such activities for the past more than one year.
“And so any outlets providing hostess services, dice games and all this very close contact, were never allowed, knowing and learning from the experiences of places like Hong Kong and Korea. So for this to now happen has been troubling (and) disappointing.”
The police will take action against lounges and hostesses who may have breached safe management measures, he added.
INDEX CASE
The "index case" or first reported case in the KTV cluster was detected when a short-term visit pass holder from Vietnam visited a general practitioner clinic on Jul 11 with acute respiratory infection symptoms.
She was taken to a hospital after testing positive. Authorities then started contact tracing and epidemiological investigations, and discovered that the woman had frequented many KTV outlets, said the Ministry of Health's (MOH) director of medical services Kenneth Mak.
Some of the COVID-19 cases lived with her in the same household, said Associate Professor Mak.
Of the 41 new cases linked to the cluster, nine were already placed in quarantine and the rest were detected through surveillance, he added.
The Dream Cruises passenger was immediately isolated on board after he was identified as a close contact of a confirmed case on land. The ship returned to Singapore at around 6.30am on Wednesday, hours before it was scheduled to return at 9am on the same day.
People who have visited KTV lounges in the past 14 days, or from Jun 29, should come forward to get tested for COVID-19, said the Health Minister.
“If you’re still somehow uncomfortable for whatever reason, and really don’t feel like doing it, at the very least I can only urge you if you’ve visited KTV lounges and interacted with hostesses since Jun 29, at the very least stay at home, tell your family about it,” he added.
“Make sure you have your own room, isolate yourself, get your family to buy you some ART kits, test yourself, don’t interact with anybody, and monitor your health for the next 14 days.”
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Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
Source: CNA/zl
Continue reading...