Govt steps up virus curbs as clusters grow

THe country announced a slew of new coronavirus restrictions including a ban on spectators at sporting events as infections rise in the city-state.

after a partial lockdown and rigorous regime of testing and contact tracing, Covid-19 had almost disappeared in Singapore, with authorities in recent months reporting hardly any local transmission.

But cases rose last week with officials announcing several new clusters, and in the last seven days 60 locally transmitted infections have been reported.

Of the five new cases Singapore reported on Tuesday, all are tied to a growing cluster at a large public hospital that now stands at 40 and are linked to the India variant, said officials.

Travellers arriving from most countries will be required to quarantine for three weeks instead of two.

“The next few weeks will be critical for us,” said health minister Gan Kim Yong.

He warned of further measures if the situation deteriorates, including the possibility of another partial lockdown.

One new Covid-19 case in the community was reported at noon yesterday.

There were also 15 imported cases who were placed on stayhome notice on arrival in Singapore, said the Ministry of Health. — agencies