SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 218 new cases of COVID-19 as of noon on Tuesday (Jun 9), including six cases in the community.
The community cases are all work pass holders, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its preliminary daily update.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe rest of the cases are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories.
The new COVID-19 cases put Singapore’s total at 38,514.
[h=3]MAP: Were you here at these times? COVID-19 cases visited these places when they were infectious[/h] AdvertisementAdvertisementResponding to concerns about the recent increase in new community cases during Phase 1 of Singapore’s reopening, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Monday that this is due to “proactive” screening.
“In fact, many of the community cases, we have seen in the past week were due to active case finding as we proactively conduct surveillance to test on our target groups,” he said.
These include staff and residents in residential homes for seniors, pre-school staff members and those returning to work.
[h=3]READ: Recent rise in COVID-19 community cases due to 'proactive' screening, situation remains 'under control'[/h]Testing has also been extended to individuals diagnosed with acute respiratory infection at first presentation to a doctor.
Regional screening centres are also being set up across the island. Two of these centres, at the Old Police Academy and The Float at Marina Bay, were set up last week. Another two centres at Bukit Gombak and Bishan sports halls were set up on Monday.
A new wearable device was also announced to help track COVID-19 transmission in Singapore.
[h=3]READ: COVID-19 contact tracing ‘absolutely essential’; wearable TraceTogether tokens to be rolled out in June[/h]The first batch of TraceTogether tokens will be delivered in the second half of this month. The devices will function similar to the TraceTogether app on smartphones, and will help identify COVID-19 cases as well as their close contacts.
The data will be used to map out the cases’ activities and identify the full range of interactions they may have had.
The tokens will likely be distributed through community centres.
[h=3]BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments[/h]Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the COVID-19 outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
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