Singapore bars long-term pass holders, visitors from India amid COVID-19 surge

All longterm pass holders and shortterm visitors who have travelled to India within the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore as the country goes on heightened alert against Covid19This move takes effect from 1159 pm on Friday and includes people who have prior approval to enter Singapore said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday April 22 the Straits Times reportedIn addition people who have recently travelled to India and have not completed their 14day stayhome notice SHN by 1159 pm on Thursday night will have to complete their additional sevenday SHN at a dedicated facility rather than their places of residenceThis group will undergo three polymerase chain reaction PCR tests for the virus when they arrive on the 14th day of their SHN and before the end of their SHN Explaining why Singapore has tightened its border measures Wong said that the situation in India has worsened since the start of the weekHe added that the SHN period is not 100 per cent foolproof noting that any leaks among newly arrived Indian workers could possibly introduce new strains into dormitories and result in new clustersIndia reported 314835 new Covid19 cases on Thursday the worlds biggest singleday surge The country has recorded 16 million cases and 184657 deaths so far A new doublemutant variant has also emerged in India and is thought to be fuelling the countrys second waveThe Ministry of Health MOH also confirmed on Thursday that 17 recovered workers at Westlite Woodlands dormitory were found to have Covid19 although there is no evidence that these cases were linked to India or to the new viral strain that has emerged thereHealth Minister Gan Kim Yong who with Wong cochairs the multiministerial task force handling the pandemic said that Singapore is on heightened alert against the coronavirus given rising case numbers and emerging virus variants around the world The situation may escalate quickly necessitating the tightening of measures in Singapore he added at a virtual press conferenceViral variants including those first detected in South Africa and Brazil have been found in 342 imported cases said the Health Ministrys director of medical services Associate Professor Kenneth Mak All the cases were isolated on arrival and no community spread has been detectedHe warned that this number may increase over time as more Covid19 cases are detected and more testing done Gan urged Singaporeans to continue to be socially responsible and adhere to safe management measures This applies to those who have already been vaccinated as well he said The recent spate of cases has reminded us that we cannot let our guard downWe are facing an invisible and very formidable enemy Wong said adding that the spate of new strains detected in other countries is a worrying developmentPerhaps after this round of vaccination we might have to continue with further rounds of vaccination he said Even up to beyond this year because we will have to be confronting not just the virus today but potentially new strains of the virus that maybe more infectious and virulentThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever