by SINGAPORE – Swabbing stations were set up at a hostel at the National University of Singapore (NUS) on Tuesday (March 23) morning after traces of Covid-19 were detected in wastewater there.
Residents of 13 units in North Tower in University Town (UTown) affected by the move have been told they would have to remain indoors until results are out.
A cordon has also been placed around the units from the rest of the hostel.
In a letter addressed to the affected students, seen by The Straits Times, NUS said the Health Ministry requires all residents in these apartments to undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab test as a precautionary measure.
Students have to proceed to the foyer to undergo the tests in allocated slots between noon and 4pm on Tuesday with their mobile phone, NUS Student Card and NRIC or Student Pass.
“Your swab test result will be known in two to three days. After which, we will provide further guidance depending on the result of the swab test,” said NUS.
Meanwhile, affected students were instructed to attend lessons online.
They can leave the hostel room briefly for essential activities like using the bathroom, doing laundry and accepting food orders.
They were also told to declare their temperature twice a day through an NUS online platform and avoid physical contact with others. They are also not allowed visitors.
Students ST spoke to from North Tower said that most residents there are international and postgraduate students.
Most units have four bedrooms, a shared bathroom and a pantry area, they said.
In the letter, NUS said the authorities had detected low levels of Covid-19 viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) in wastewater samples collected last Saturday between 11am and 5pm.
NUS students were informed last year that their wastewater would be inspected as a precautionary measure for Covid-19.
“I know they have been monitoring, but I never thought they would find anything,” said a resident of North Tower, a 26-year-old chemical engineering PhD student who declined to be named. “At the same time I think anything can happen during this period.”
In the letter, NUS also told students who were in the hostel between midnight last Saturday and 6pm on Monday to return to the hostel immediately to isolate themselves in their rooms.
While travelling back to the hostel, they are to wind down the windows of cars they are in and avoid taking public transport.
Staff and students were informed of the incident in separate circulars.
Dr Peck Thian Guan, director of the university’s office of safety, health and environment, said in the staff circular that low levels of Covid-19 viral RNA had been detected in a sample taken from an inspection chamber linked to bathrooms in the UTown Residence North Tower on Saturday.
Residents of 13 units in North Tower in University Town affected by the move have been told they would have to remain indoors until results are out. ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID
A cordon has also been placed around the units from the rest of the hostel. ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID
The university has had a wastewater surveillance programme in place at all its hostels since Dec 7 last year, as part of efforts to pick up coronavirus cases in a “safe, effective and non-intrusive way”, Dr Peck added.
“The swab test has to be performed swiftly to identify whether there are other residents who may be or had been infected with Covid-19,” said Dr Peck.
“This is so that we can provide immediate medical care and support, while taking the necessary steps to cut the transmission of Covid-19.”
“Please remain calm, comply with the precautionary measures outlined above, and do not spread unverified information,” said Dr Peck, adding that the university would update staff and students on the outcome of the swabbing exercise.
