Singapore reports 528 new coronavirus cases, majority of them linked to foreign workers

Singapore on Tuesday reported 528 new coronavirus cases, the vast majority of them linked to foreign workers, including Indians, residing in dormitories that have emerged as the hotspots for the transmission of the disease in the country.

Only eight Singaporeans or permanent residents (foreigners) were among the new patients, said the Health Ministry.

Migrant workers, including Indian nationals, living in dormitories continue to be the vast majority of the 528 new cases which took the total number of infections to 14,951.

A total of 12,183 of the 323,000 migrant workers living in dormitories - about 3.77 per cent - have tested positive, putting the spotlight on their living conditions.

On Monday, the Health Ministry had said that it picked up many more cases in dormitories because of extensive testing. Most of these patients have a mild illness and are being monitored in community isolation facilities or the general wards of hospitals.

The ministry said the number of new cases in the community has decreased to an average of 20 per day in the past week from an average of 29 cases per day two weeks ago, while the number of unlinked cases in the community has also fallen to an average of 13 per day in the past week from an average of 19 cases per day two weeks ago.