As of 26 March 2020, 12 pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified an additional 52 cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore, of which:
- The 28 imported cases had travel history to Europe, North America, Middle East, ASEAN and other parts of Asia. All except two were returning residents and Long Term Pass holders.
- 10 cases are linked to clusters or previous cases.
- 14 cases are currently unlinked, and contact tracing is ongoing.
The new cases bring the total tally of the infected cases in Singapore to 683 cases.
The Government has earlier announced that all Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents and Long Term Pass holders returning to Singapore are issued a 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN).
Starting from 25 March, 2359 hours, UK and US returnees will serve their 14-day SHN in dedicated facilities. The SHN requirements will be strictly enforced so as to reduce the risk of community transmission from imported cases.
Update on condition of confirmed cases
To date, a total of 172 cases have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from the hospital. Of the 404 confirmed cases who are still in the hospital, most are stable or improving.
18 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
87 cases who are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 have been transferred to Concord International Hospital, Mount Elizabeth Hospital and the Community Isolation Facility at D’Resort NTUC for isolation and care.
Two have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.
Update on contact tracing for confirmed cases
Contact tracing for the confirmed cases is ongoing. Once identified, MOH will closely monitor all close contacts. As a precautionary measure, they will be quarantined for 14 days from their last exposure to the patient. In addition, all other identified contacts who have a low risk of being infected will be under active surveillance and will be contacted daily to monitor their health status.
As of 26 March 2020, 12 pm, MOH has identified 9,771 close contacts who have been quarantined. Of these, 3,216 are currently quarantined, and 6,555 have completed their quarantine.
