Another day, another closure.
Operators of F&B establishments have already been hit particularly hard in our latest outbreaks, what with restrictions on dining in.
But if the authorities discover ongoing COVID-19 transmission in your hawker centre or market, well, then it has to close for two weeks.
That’s a lot of money lost.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus keeps infiltrating markets, and the latest victim happens to be in Boon Lay.
Boon Lay Place Food Market to Close for 2 Weeks As 7 New COVID-19 Cases Detected There
Boon Lay Place Market and Food Village will be closed to the public from today (23 July) till 6 Aug, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.
This comes after the discovery of 7 infections among workers or visitors of the market.
According to MOH, the virus likely spread to the market by fishmongers who visited Jurong Fishery Port to collect their stocks before selling them at the markets and food centres.
The closure will enable the authorities to carry out deep cleaning, as well as break the chain of transmission.
If you visited the market between 8 July and 22 July, you can also get a free COVID-19 test.
162 New Infections, 52 Unlinked
If you were out and about yesterday, you would have noticed a strange sight: everyone on the street had their eyes widened in fear while looking at their phones.
This is because they discovered that 52 unlinked cases were reported yesterday, our highest ever number of unlinked cases in a day.
In total, 162 new locally transmitted cases were confirmed, including three in migrant workers’ dormitories. Besides that, eight imported cases were detected.
Five were linked to the Marina Bay Sands Cluster, which now has 15 cases. The casino was also closed to the public for two weeks until 5 Aug.
Another five cases were added to the KTV cluster, which now has 221 cases. No new KTV lounges with ongoing transmission was detected.
87 new infections were linked to the Jurong Fishery Port cluster, which remains our biggest active cluster with 560 cases.
Altogether, we have 28 active clusters.
Mandatory Testing For 4 HDB Blocks Near Geylang Serai Market
Fishmongers and KTV visitors aren’t the only ones getting tested now.
MOH said it’s investigating “likely COVID-19 transmission” at four HDB blocks near Geylang Serai Market after coronavirus viral fragments were found in wastewater samples collected from the blocks.
As a result, all residents of blocks 842, 844, 846, and 848 Sims Avenue will have to undergo mandatory swab testing.
Owners and staff of shops located at the four blocks will also have to be swabbed.
However, those who have tested negative for COVID-19 from 17 July will not be obliged to undergo another test.
415 COVID-19 Cases in Hospital
At the moment, there are 415 COVID-19 cases in hospital, most of whom are well and under observation.
Seven require oxygen support, while one is in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Evidence continues to indicate that vaccinations prevent one from falling severely ill from COVID-19.
Over the past 28 days, seven patients were admitted to the ICU, required oxygen supplementation, or died.
Six were unvaccinated, while one had received one dose of a vaccine. None was fully vaccinated.
If you’re still on the fence about the vaccine, check out this video:
Read Also:
- Residents & Workers in 4 HDB Blocks to Undergo Compulsory COVID-19 Test
- Ong Ye Kung: KTV Visitors “Irresponsible”, But Not the Reason for New COVID-19 Restrictions
Featured Image: Google maps
