by SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) has identified 10 COVID-19 cases from four different households living in Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 – one of which was detected from a mandatory testing exercise for residents.
A total of 407 residents and visitors of the block were tested on Friday and Saturday, with 126 test results still pending, said MOH and the Ministry of National Development (MND) in a joint release on Sunday (May 23).
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They added that the positive cases were “largely” people under quarantine who turned positive for the virus.
“This means that they have been isolated early and ring-fenced, and not likely to be moving around while being infectious. Nevertheless, MOH took all the necessary public health measures to prevent any further spread to the community,” the two ministries said.
The four units with confirmed cases are in the same stack and the authorities said that their initial assessment is that “airborne transmission along the stack is highly unlikely”.
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Epidemiological investigations are ongoing to determine linkages and the source of transmission, they added.
In the meantime, authorities said they “are not taking any chances”.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) has worked with the town council (TC) to step up cleaning measures to disinfect the block.
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“At the same time, we are casting our surveillance net as wide as possible, including administering PCR tests for the whole block,” they said.
The ministries added that so far, this is the only Housing & Development Board (HDB) block in Singapore with infected cases seen in more than two households.
STEPPED UP MEASURES
Block-wide testing is also being carried out at Block 559 Pasir Ris Street 51.
The ministries added that NEA cleaning and disinfection works for the Hougang block and the Pasir Ris block were completed on Friday and Saturday respectively.
Particular attention was paid to frequently touched areas, such as lift surfaces, lift buttons, handrails, letterboxes, amongst others, they said.
“As a precautionary measure, NEA had also worked with the TCs to expand the scope of disinfection to include amenities in the vicinity that could be used by residents, such as playground and central refuse chute.”
RESIDENTS NOT UNDER QUARANTINE
The authorities added that the residents of these two blocks are being tested as a precaution, and residents are not under quarantine.
“They are allowed to leave their homes and continue with activities allowed under the prevailing Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures.”
The delivery of goods and services to these blocks can still carry on with appropriate safe management measures and mask-wearing.
“We strongly urge service providers to continue to extend their services to the residents and support our fellow Singaporeans,” the ministries said.
Member of Parliament Gerald Giam (WP-Aljunied) on Sunday said he is aware that “some residents have been unable to receive deliveries like cooking gas cylinders over the last two days”.
“We have contacted the relevant company to encourage them to resume deliveries as soon as possible so that you can cook your meals. I understand that the instruction has been given by their management to resume deliveries,” Mr Giam said in a Facebook post.
A round of misting using disinfectants at common corridors and lifts was conducted by the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council “as an added precaution”, after the swab testing operation was completed on Saturday, the MP also said.
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