A patient at a Tiong Bahru Plaza baby clinic tested negative for coronavirus on Thu evening (29 Jan) following a scare the same morning.
SBCC Baby & Child told Mothership that the patient has since been discharged from the hospital.
Prior to the release of the result, the management of Tiong Bahru Plaza the same day said that it will ramp up precautionary measures — including conducting temperature checks for staff twice daily — following a suspected case of Wuhan coronavirus infection on its premises.
In a notice to the mall’s tenants seen by TOC today, AsiaMalls Management Pte Ltd said that its Centre Management was notified of a patient at SBCC Baby and Child Clinic who was suspected of having the virus.
“Our operations team facilitated the movement of the patient to the pick-up point via a designated route designed to minimize exposure of the patient to the general public. The affected areas were also immediately disinfected and sanitized,” according to General Manager Dennis Cheong in the notice.
SBCC Baby & Child told Mothership today that the aforementioned patient has tested negative for the novel coronavirus and has since been discharged from the hospital.
AsiaMalls Management Pte Ltd added that it has “ramped up” its efforts to safeguard public safety on the premises of Tiong Bahru Plaza and other malls under its management in line with the Ministry of Health’s (MOH)’s guidelines.
Some of its efforts include “conducting temperature checks twice a day for all employees and service staff (cleaners and security guards)”.
“Attendance, movement and health declaration of all contractors in our malls are also recorded to facilitate contact tracing,” the management firm added.
The frequency of cleaning and disinfecting of common areas have also been increased, and designated premises and specific exit routes have been allocated “to minimize contact with the general public for suspected nCoV case[s]”, AsiaMalls added.
S’poreans advised to postpone all travel arrangements to Hubei Province, adopt precautions including wearing masks: MOH
The Ministry of Health (MOH) last Thu said that a Chinese national — who is a resident of the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak — had developed a fever and cough the day after his arrival in Singapore on 20 Jan.
The 66-year-old man was then immediately admitted and isolated upon his arrival at the SGH Emergency Department on 22 Jan, where he was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia. MOH was notified of his case. The next day, he tested positive for the coronavirus.
Four other imported cases have been confirmed by MOH since then, including the latest one involving a 56 year-old female Chinese national from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore with her family on 18 Jan.
In light of the outbreak, the Government has released an advisory for Singaporeans to postpone all travel to Hubei Province and “all non-essential travel to Mainland China”.
“All travellers should monitor their health closely for two weeks upon return to Singapore and seek medical attention promptly if they feel unwell.
“Travellers should inform their doctor of their travel history. If they have a fever or respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, shortness of breath), they should wear a mask and call the clinic ahead of the visit,” added MOH.
MOH also reminded members of the public to practice the following at all times:
- Avoid contact with live animals including poultry and birds, and consumption of raw and undercooked meats;
- Avoid close contact with people who are unwell or showing symptoms of illness;
- Observe good personal hygiene;
- Practise frequent hand washing with soap (e.g. before handling food or eating, after going to toilet, or when hands are dirtied by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing);
- Wear a mask if you have respiratory symptoms such as a cough or shortness of breath;
- Cover your mouth with a tissue paper when coughing or sneezing, and dispose the soiled tissue paper in the rubbish bin immediately; and
- Seek medical attention promptly if you are feeling unwell.