SINGAPORE: The two cornermen who arrived in Singapore to participate in ONE Championship’s live sporting event on Friday (Oct 30) and had tested positive for COVID-19, are not participating in the show.
While they have recovered from COVID-19, they tested positive on the latest polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests done on Thursday, said ONE and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in response to CNA's queries.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe two men had travelled to Singapore between Oct 22 and Oct 23, ONE said on Friday.
ONE declined to name them due to “medical privacy”.
It was previously reported the positive results were detected as part of screening protocols for the ONE: Inside the Matrix event.
[h=3]READ: 2 cornermen in Friday's ONE Championship event test positive for COVID-19[/h] AdvertisementAdvertisementTIMELINE
Both men had tested negative for COVID-19 before flying into Singapore from the US and Russia, and tested negative for the coronavirus upon their arrival as well.
They later tested positive on Tuesday and serological tests were conducted the next day to "determine if their infection is current", ONE and STB said in a statement on Thursday.
The serological tests came back positive for both men.
AdvertisementThe groups said the two men had undergone PCR tests again on Thursday as an "added measure".
On Friday, ONE and STB said: "The two cornermen who have recovered from COVID-19 tested positive on their latest PCR tests conducted yesterday."
"Recovered cases may continue to shed non-viable, non-infectious viral fragments for weeks or even months after infection, which may lead to positive PCR test results.
"While they are past infection cases, and considered to be no longer infectious, as an added precaution, they will not be participating at tonight’s ONE: Inside the Matrix event," said the joint statement.
ONE added that contact tracing had been done "per pilot and government procedure" and the result “determined no other parties were required to quarantine or withdraw from the event”.
[h=3]READ: One Championship vows strict COVID-19 measures for Singapore MMA[/h]Friday's event, titled ONE: Inside the Matrix, is expected to have up to 250 spectators in attendance, according to ONE Championship. It will also be among the first to pilot the use of COVID-19 antigen rapid tests (ARTs).
ARTs will be used for pre-event testing, which can return “fairly accurate” results within about half an hour, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Oct 20.
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